Long Lost Brother
by Katy-Cullen23
Summary: Alice discovers she has another brother, a secret that could possible tear apart her whole family. Bella, Alice's best friend, gets to know the new brother, as he barely speaks to anyone, never revealing anything about his past. Will the Cullen family stay together? What happened in Edward's past? Geekward! All in BPOV, AH, R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: New story time! I was hoping to have more of this pre-written before I began posting, but I couldn't wait! :D I'll probably update every other day, so the next update will be monday. Chapters will have about 1500 - 2000 words in :)**

**For now, I see it all being in all Bella's point of view, but a couple of Edward chapters may be throw in there! :P**

**Summary: Alice discovers she has another brother, a secret that could possible tear apart her whole family. Bella, Alice's best friend, gets to know the new brother, as he barely speaks to anyone, never revealing anything about his past. Will the Cullen family stay together? What happened in Edward's past? Geekward! All in BPOV, AH, R&R!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, I just borrow the characters for fun!**

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**Bella:**

"I have a brother!" Alice, my best friend since forever, squeals at me.

We both live in the same small town of Forks, Washington. Everyone knows everyone here, and it just so happened that my parent's and Alice's parents became best friends. I've lived in Forks all my life, but Alice moved here with her parents and brother Emmett when she was two and he was four.

Ever since our parents became friends, we became best friends, and have been ever since. In everything else, we don't match at all. Well, we're both really small. Anyway, Alice has short, black hair, with bright emerald green eyes, and more of a petite figure. I have long brown hair, with matching brown eyes, and a curvier figure. Oh, and Alice loves shopping for clothes while I'd rather read a book. We do, of course, have other friends, but none that we're as close to.

"Alice, in case you forgot, you already have a brother! His name's Emmett, looks like a giant teddy bear on steroids, plays on the Seattle football team and lives there with his girlfriend Rosalie, otherwise known as Queen Bee for Bitch." Rosalie got that nickname since, when she was at Forks high; she was always known as the school bitch, or queen bee. Alice and I simply merged those names, although Emmett always tells us Rosalie is actually a very lovely person. Yeah, I'll believe that when hell freezes over. Which means never.

"Not him, you doofus! This guy just turned up at our house, with an older woman, claiming to be my brother!" Alice says excitedly into the phone.

"What? Wait, so the first thing you decided to do was to call me, then?" I giggle a little at that. In times of emergencies, we call each other first.

"I know! Yeah, but now I'm gonna have to hang up so I can go downstairs and find out more! Byeeee!" Alice hangs up then, and I'm left shocked. She has a brother? How old is he? How did this even happen?

Anyway, the new school year starts soon, senior year, so I need to make sure I have everything I need. Ok, that doesn't take too long, but still.

Forks High School is like any other high school, really. Everyone has their own little circles of friends, people they hang out with. There are the popular people, where most of the boys are made up of football or other sports teams, and the girls are all cheerleaders. Then you have the rebels, the people who don't care about what grades they get, and are almost always high. There are also the nerds, who only care about the latest video game and whoever can complete it first. Also, there are some outcasts, who are socially awkward, so they be socially awkward together. I know that if I didn't have Alice I'd be with them. All your typical high school clichés, really.

Finally, there are the randomers. I.e., Alice and me. We don't really have a set circle of friends. We mingle. We could be called the minglers… Anyway, we have a couple of friends who are cheerleaders, a couple who are nerds, a socially awkward person, and that's about it. It's not as if we're particularly clever or popular, but we do well in school and have friends.

I remember when I went out with Mike Newton for a couple of months. He's on the football team, so I was made popular. But, most of the cheerleaders hated me, and so Mike and I broke up soon after. I wasn't that heart broken, really.

"Bells, can you come down here for a minute!" My dad, Charlie the chief of police in this small town, shouts up to me.

"Yeah!" I shout back before noisily running and tripping down the stairs. It's a well-known fact I'm not the most graceful of people. Once I get to the living room, I see my mother, Renée, and my dad sitting on the sofa. "Um, am I in trouble, or something?" I'm not in trouble often, but I remember I was grounded for two weeks once when Alice and I made a tree house without telling our parents, and I ended up falling from it and breaking my arm.

"No, not at all, honey. We've just had a distraught Esme call us, saying that apparently Carlisle had an affair which resulted in a child." My mum explains. Well, that explains Alice's other brother.

"What? When was this? How old is the boy?" I ask both of them. Esme and Carlisle are the epitome of a happily married couple; I can't imagine Carlisle ever doing something like that.

"Wait, how did you know the child is a boy?" My mother asks.

"Uh…Alice called me. All she said was that she had a brother though." I mutter sheepishly.

"I should have known." Mum mutters. "Right, well, this affair supposedly happened before the Cullen's moved to Forks. The boy is 17 years old, and in the same year as you and Alice."

"So that means Carlisle had an affair while his wife was _pregnant_?" I'm outraged. I've always thought of the Cullen's as my second family, but right now I'm disgusted by Carlisle.

"I think that's part of the reason why Esme is so distraught. Anyway, they're going to do a paternity test on the boy and Carlisle, but apparently the mother has already run off. She only stopped long enough to explain the boy was Carlisle's son, and then she fled." My mum tells me.

"How could a mother do that? I mean, he's her _son_." This situation just gets more and more messed up.

"Esme said the boy's mother was a prostitute, and that she barely had enough money to provide for the boy. He's apparently in clothes way too small, and his glasses are cracked all over. And, Esme being Esme, she feels sorry for him, and so has welcomed him into their home." My mum seems moved by this, as well. I'm moved by this.

"That's so sad… What's the boy's name? When will the paternity tests be done?" I ask hurriedly.

"The boys name is Edward Masen. The paternity tests will take about three or four days, but Esme is already pretty certain the boy is Carlisle's. Apparently, aside from hair colour, he's the spitting image of Carlisle when he was younger. He even has the same emerald green eye colour like Alice and Carlisle." My dad explains.

"Is Esme…is she going to leave him? Carlisle?" I ask nervously. If I was in her place, I have no idea what I'd do. Carlisle and Esme have always seemed so in love; I can't believe what he's done.

"She doesn't know, yet. Carlisle insists it was a one-time thing, but Esme doesn't have much trust in him right now." My mother is sad, I can tell, since Carlisle and Esme are her best friends.

I nod, and then go back upstairs. I see my phone is ringing, so I run to answer it. It's probably Alice.

"Bella, everything is so messed up! I feel so sorry for him, Edward, but a small part of me resents him! My parents could get a divorce or something. I don't want them to break up!" Alice wails into the phone.

"Shhh, everything will be fine, Alice. I mean, it's not every day you get a new sibling, is it? Have you spoken to Edward?" I don't know what I'd do if I were in Alice's place, either.

"Yeah, a bit." She sniffles, and I hope she's stopped crying. No one likes seeing their best friend upset.

"What's he like?" I ask gently.

"He seems nice. He's really clever, as well. I think you'll like him." Alice seems happier now, which is good.

"Really? When can I meet him?" I ask, quite looking forward to meeting the new Cullen.

"Probably when we go back to school on Monday. I think he's going there, too." Alice tells me.

"So he's going to stay, then?" I bring the conversation back to the more serious topic.

"Yes, I think so. We are all pretty certain that he's my brother. But, I'm scared of how Emmett will react. He's coming home for a few days, so we're going to tell him in person. Oh, and he's bringing Queen Bee for Bitch." Alice laughs.

"I'm sure things will be fine. Damn, I hate Queen Bee. What does your brother see in her?" I laugh along with Alice.

"Her fake tits, probably." Alice jokes. Rosalie hates whenever we claim she's had plastic surgery. Apparently it's all 'natural'. Yeah, right.

For the rest of the night, Alice and I talk mostly about school starting in a few days, and senior year.

I really hope everything is ok with her family.

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**A/N: What do you think of the first chapter? :D**

**We'll meet Edward next chapter! :P**

**Review please! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: The plan was to post this on Monday, but I couldn't wait! Not after the response I got for the first chapter! Thanks to everyone, and to the guest reviewer! :D**

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**Bella:**

"Bella, wake up, honey!" My mum opens the curtains to my room and turns on the lights to try and wake me up.

"I don't wanna." I mumble, snuggling back into the covers.

"You've got to, Bella. You have school today." I groan again, in response to my mother's words. I'm so not a morning person. "I'll pull the covers off if you don't get up in the next few seconds." Yep, that got me up.

"I'm up! I'm up!" I shout. Mum just laughs.

I go into the bathroom and wash my face to wake myself up. Then I do the normal morning ritual, of brushing my teeth, brushing through the tangle of my hair, and making sure I look alright.

I open the curtain to see what the weather is like, but I'm not surprised when I see it's raining. Jeans and a jumper it is, then. I grab my jeans, which I bought when Alice dragged me out shopping, and my jumper with an owl on it, also bought when I was with Alice. Apparently, if I was going to insist on living in jumpers and jeans (which I did) I had to have stylish jumpers.

I just chose the jumper because I like owls.

I grab my rucksack, shove in a couple of books and my pencil case, and go downstairs. Alice and I usually drive to school together, but she text me this morning saying she was heading in earlier with Edward. Since I didn't want to lose even just a half an hour of sleep, I told her I'd drive by myself.

Now, though, I'm thoroughly regretting this decision. I'm sat in my old, rusty red Chevy, (which I adore, so no judgements on my car, please) trying to get it to start. Unsuccessfully.

"Damn it!" I shout, while hitting the wheel. The horn blares, and I jump back in shock. Finally, after several more hits to different parts of the car's interior, it decides to work.

I'm only going to be about 20 minutes late on my first day, but whatever.

I try to speed to school, which is an almost impossible task in a car which physically refuses to go any faster than 45 mph. Least I've never got a speeding ticket.

When I finally reach school, the bell goes just as I'm pulling into the only space left, which is the furthest from the school building. I have to do a weird part run, part jog, part walk thing to get to my form room in time.

"Late on your first day, Miss Swan?" My form tutor, Mr Pedford, asks in a condescending tone. The last bell goes, signalling anyone in after then is late.

"Not quite. And my car was being temperamental." Mr Pedford tuts at me, but motions for me to sit down – in my seat next to Alice – anyway.

"Car problems?" Alice giggles in a whisper.

"Slightly. I'll have to get Jake to look at it." I whisper back. Jake is the son of my dad's best friend, but he doesn't go to our school. He lives at La Push, and is an excellent mechanic. I've known him almost as long as I've known Alice, and he seems to be forever fixing my car.

Form time is boring, as we're just handed our timetables and told all the stuff we already know. In the last ten minutes, we're allowed to talk to our friends, so I take the time to ask Alice about Edward.

"What's Edward like, then?" I ask, smiling at her.

"Definitely my brother. The paternity tests came in today." Alice replies.

"Really? Is Esme alright?" I ask; worried for my friend's mother.

"Uh, she's alright, I think. We all just feel a bit sorry for him. I mean, what sort of mother abandons their child? Anyway, since he did have any proper fitting clothes, I took him shopping yesterday! Now he looks stylish! And, he got new glasses, since his were broken and weren't even the right prescription. He doesn't talk much, though." Alice says in a rush, evidently excited about having another sibling.

"Probably because he's had to go through the trauma of shopping with you…" I joke, and then laugh along with Alice.

"Hey! I'm not that bad! Oh, and tonight, Emmett and Rosalie are coming round, so d'you think you could come round? For moral support, and all that jazz?" Alice asks.

"Yeah, of course. Only if once I drop my car off at my house, you'll give me a lift. I'm not even sure if it'll make it back to my house." My car has only ever broken down on me twice, which isn't too bad, considering it's age. However, the one-time Alice and I _were_ in the middle of nowhere. Yeah, that also led to a grounding, since neither of us had our phones with us or charged up.

"Thank you! We have to protect Edward from Emmett!" Alice said just as the bell went. I had English first, while she had art, so we said goodbye and went our separate ways.

English was by far my favourite subject. I just loved reading, and writing. I wrote on a fanfiction website for my favourite book series ever, Harry Potter. Although I do love the Hunger Games, too. Maybe I should write a fanfiction for that?

Anyway, I know that when I'm older I want to open my own bookshop, in Port Angeles or something. And I want to write my own book, hopefully.

In English at the moment, we're studying Shakespeare. The play we're studying at the moment is Much Ado About Nothing, probably one of my favourites. I've read most of Shakespeare's plays, but there are some I wasn't such a fan of. Titus Andronicus, for example.

In English, I sit next to Angela Weber, one of my friends who's in the nerd group. She's not that much of a nerd; she just shares my love of reading.

"Hey! How were your holidays?" Angela asks as I sit next to her.

"Good! All I seemed to do was read and be forced to go shopping with Alice! How were your holidays?" I reply. I dread to think how many shopping excursions I've been forced into by Alice.

"Really good, too. I went on holiday with Ben and his family, we went to New York! It was so awesome!" Angela gushes. Ben Cheney is her boyfriend since…forever, really. They have been going out since children started becoming the right age to have a boyfriend. They're a cute couple.

"That's so cool. I'd love to go to New York, one day." The furthest I've been away from Forks is Seattle.

After English finishes, I have biology, so I go into the classroom. I sit in my usual seat at the lab desk, where I'm the only person in the class who doesn't have a lab partner. I don't mind, though. I actually quite enjoy biology, though English will always be my favourite.

A few minutes later, a boy, who I don't recognise, enters the room. He has messy, hair in an unusual shade, red, but fair light. Like light bronze. I'm guessing it's messy from the wind outside, or something. Also, he's wearing glasses with a fairly thick, black frame. He goes over and speaks to the teacher, who directs him to sit next to me. The lesson hasn't quite begun yet, so this new guy introduces himself.

"H-hi. I'm…I'm Ed-ward. E-Edward M-M-Masen." He stutters, holding out his hand awkwardly. Does he want me to shake his hand? Wait, Edward _Masen_? As in, Alice's new brother?

"Hey, I'm Bella Swan." I smile and shake his hand. 'Cause I'm polite.

"O-oh. Al-Alice told m-me…a-about you." Edward mumbles, and I realise we're still holding hands from the hand shake, so I take back my hand.

"Did she? Hopefully she made me out to be the awesome person that I am." I joke, making Edward laugh a bit.

"Y-yes… Hope-hopefully I'll g-get t-to know you be-better…myself." Edward tells me. The lesson begins then, so I turn my attention back to biology.

The rest of the lessons pass quickly, and soon enough it's lunch time, so I go and sit with Alice. Also sitting on our usual table is Edward, so I give him a small smile and say hi.

"You've met each other?" Alice asks, bouncing up and down in her seat. No, I don't know why either.

"Uh, yeah. Edward sits next to me in biology." I reply, giving Alice a look that hopefully says _'what the hell is your excitement about?'_.

"Great! Edward, Bella's coming to our house after school today!" Alice grins widely at Edward. Edward gives me a look, which seems to be asking a similar question to my look.

"Howdy, you mind if I sit here, darlin'?" A voice drawls next to Alice, whose smile seems to get larger, if that's possible right now.

"Nope! That's fine." I answer for Alice, because she seems a bit preoccupied with smiling.

"Thanks, sweetheart." The random dude replies. Seriously, who is he? He sounds like he's a cowboy. Oh! Maybe he's from Texas?

"Um, who are you?" I ask the dude.

"I'm Jasper Whitlock, sweetheart, and what's your name little miss?" This guy – Jasper – drawls to me.

"I'm Bella Swan, this is Alice Cullen, and that's Edward Masen." I introduce everyone, since Alice is _still_ smiling, and Edward looks a little scared. "You're not from here, are you?" I ask Jasper.

"Nope, I'm from Dallas, in Texas, Miss Bella." Jasper replies, giving me a little nod of his head. I'm surprised he's not wearing a cowboy hat. I subtly look under the table, and see that he is, in fact, wearing cowboy boots. Figures. "Miss Alice, would ya mind showing me 'round this place? I don't much know where I'm goin'." If I didn't know better, I'd say he just sat here because of Alice.

"Sure!" Alice squeals, and she jumps up instantly. As they walk out of the cafeteria, I see Jasper reach over and grab Alice's hand, very subtly. Alice then proceeds to look over her shoulder, with a shit eating grin on her face, and wink at me. Not so subtle.

"S-should I ha-have…um, q-question th-tha Jasper a-bout h-his intentions? L-like a bro-brother sh-ould?" Edward asks me nervously. He's too cute.

"Oh, I wouldn't be worried for Alice. She looks tiny, but she's stronger than you think. Last year she gave this guy named James a black eye because he came on to me when I didn't want him too. Fierce little pixie, that one." I chuckle, remembering that. Man, James was confused. And hurt. Edward seems to be laughing, too.

"You-you're c-coming…t-to Alice's h-house tonight be-cause…because of Emm-ett, right? M-my oth-other brother…" Edward mutters, looking a bit sad.

"Mostly, yes. But don't worry; Emmett's a big teddy bear. Albeit on steroids, but whatever. Anyway, I'm more there to protect Carlisle." If I were Carlisle, I'd be shitting myself right now.

"St-steriods?" Edward questions.

"Shit! No! He's not actually _on_ steroids…he just looks like he is. He has big muscles." Edward's eyes widen at the thought of a big, muscled man being angry. "Don't worry! I've known Emmett since I was two; he's going to be majorly pissed off with Carlisle, not you. Hopefully Queen Bee for Bitch can calm him down. Or Esme."

"W-who's Queen Bee f-for Bi-Bit…who is t-that?" Edward mumbles, not saying the word 'bitch'. Maybe he doesn't like when people swear?

"Oh, that's Rosalie. Alice and me don't like her so much. She's Emmett's girlfriend, but in high school she had the nicknames Queen Bee, and then, well, bitch. So we merged then." I explain to Edward, who surprises me by laughing at what I say.

The bell goes then, and so we both go to our next lessons. Which, sadly, for me is gym. I seriously hate gym, I'm just so rubbish at it.

Once gym is finished, I go out to the car park. Alice follows me with Edward in her car, while I drop my car off at my house. I jump into her car, quickly sending a text telling my parents where I'm going.

When we get to the Cullen house, instead of it being the usual calm, peaceful area, we're met with loud voices from the inside.

"WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING, DAD? SEX WITH A _FUCKING PROSTITUTE_!"

That'll be Emmett.

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**A/N: What do you think of Edward? And Emmett's outburst so far? :O**

**Next chapter might be up tomorrow, depending on how much homework I get ;)**

**Review please! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Bella:**

_"WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING, DAD? SEX WITH A_FUCKING PROSTITUTE_!" _

Edward's face visibly pales when he hears Emmett.

"Don't worry, his anger will be directed at Carlisle." I try to reassure him.

"O-ok…I…I'm j-just sc-scared. A-about meeting m-my, uh, b-brother. L-like th-this." Edward stutters.

Alice comes over to us, giving Edward a big smile, before opening the front door. We walk into the living room, and I'm utterly shocked at the sight.

Carlisle is sat on one of the sofas, while Emmett is standing over, shouting at him and pointing his finger in his face. Esme is sat as far away as possible from Carlisle, and I can see tears running down her face. I don't think I've ever Esme cry before. Queen Bee for Bitch is sat on a different sofa, seemingly just watching what's happening instead of actually do anything. Well, heaven forbid she were to break a nail, or something.

"Emmett, meet your brother, Edward." Alice shouts, turning all attention to us. I think with all the shouting they hadn't heard us enter.

"H-hi…" Edward mutters, looking at his feet instead of Emmett.

"Hey little brother." Emmett grins, walking over to Edward before embracing him in a man hug. "Despite having a prat of a father, you seem to have turned out well. From what I've heard." Emmett adds.

"Language, Emmett." Esme reprimands, though only half-heartedly.

"But he is a prat, ma!" Emmett protests. "Are you disagreeing with that?"

"I never said I was; I would just prefer you wouldn't use such crude language." Esme tells him. "Anyway, Edward, honey, how was your first day at school?" I'm in awe of how easily Esme has accepted Edward. He's the result of her husband cheating on her, yet she so happily welcomes him.

"I-it was, um, _a-alright?_" Edward says, though it sounds more like a question.

"Good, did you make any new friends?" Esme smiles, ignoring the fact her other son is currently giving his father death glares.

"U-uh, sorta. I sup-suppose." Edward looks down, seemingly not liking having all the attention on him. Alice, Edward and I take seats, then, and I unfortunately end up being sat next to Queen Bee for Bitch.

"So, you used to live in New York, I heard?" Emmett asks Edward, breaking the tension. Edward just nods in response. "What was it like there?" Emmett continues.

"I d-didn't re-really like it. C-crowds, um, m-make me anx…anxious." Edward's fiddling with some piece of jewellery in his hands. "I-I'm s-s-sorry. I've r-ruined you're…you're f-family."

"No, no you haven't. It wasn't your fault, none of this was." Esme says reassuringly.

"It's not your fault Carlisle couldn't keep it in his pants." Emmett adds.

"So I'm just _'Carlisle'_ to you, now? Not your father? Yes, I made a mistake, but what more can I do than apologise?" Carlisle asks, sounding both annoyed and upset with his son.

"You could have owned up before! Or just not fucked some whore!" Emmett shouts.

"I think you should try calm down a bit, babe." Queen Bee says, making me want to vomit. I settle for just gagging a little.

"Calm down? My father cheated on my mother, how do you expect me to _calm down_?" Emmett's still angry, but he refrains from shouting and Queenie. "Look, Rosie, I'm just mad at the moment." Emmett tells her in a more soothing voice.

"Emmett, I don't think calling Edward's mother a 'whore' is such a good idea." Esme says, breaking up the love fest going on next to me.

"S-she w-was, though. A pro-prostitute. S-she did-didn't c-care for m-me." Edward adds.

"I'm sure she did, honey." Esme is so motherly by nature, I'm sure she already thinks of Edward as her own.

"I kn-know she…s-she didn't. I d-don't mi-mind, though." My heart breaks. Just a little. How can a mother _not_ love their child? Poor, poor Edward. I just wanna give him a hug, you know. Try and do something to put a smile on his face.

"Every mother should love their child, not matter what the circumstances are." Esme says, which that nurturing look in her eyes, which you just know means she thinks of Edward as her son.

Just then, Carlisle's pager goes off, saying he has to go into the hospital. He's Forks' best surgeon, and so he's needed after there's a car accident. Once he leaves, Esme goes into the kitchen to make some food. Emmett goes and sits by Edward to talk to him while Alice comes over to me.

"That went…alright." Alice sighs happily. Even though Emmett shouted at Carlisle quite a bit, he seems accepting of Edward.

"Why? Scared my boyfriend was going to be mean to your brother? You know he wouldn't do that." Queen Bee sneers.

"Or _maybe_ she was just worried about how Edward would react to everything?" I reply. I would sneer at her too, but I have no idea how to sound sassy. Even though both Alice and I dislike Bitch, Alice can't really say as much to her, since she's considered family to her.

"Already getting your claws into him?" Queenie asks, adding on a sarcastic laugh.

"What, you jealous?" I smirk at her. What, she's mean! She deserves it!

Queen Bee huffs, before flipping her hair over her shoulder and marching off to Emmett. She won't tell him what happened, since Em and I are friends, and he wouldn't want anyone being mean to me.

"You go girlfriend!" Alice squeals, giving me a high five.

"_Please_, promise me you'll never say that ever again!" We both start laughing at each other, making Edward look a little scared at us. "Oh! How did it go with the cowboy?" I ask, remembering Jasper from earlier today.

"Cowboy? Just because he's from Texas." Alice tuts, mocking hurt.

"He was wearing frickin' cowboy boots!" I reply, while Alice rolls her eyes at me.

"Anyway, things went _great_ with Jasper and me. He told me about his parents, Emma and David, and his younger sister Charlotte. And then he said he thought I was really pretty, and then he called me a pixie, and then he said my hair reminded him of the oil from the ranch-" I cut Alice of at this point.

"Ranch? You got yourself a cowboy! And oil hair? Is that an insult or a compliment?" I chuckle, while Alice scowls.

"Who's got themselves a cowboy?" Emmett asks, making me receive an even bigger scowl from Alice. Oops.

"No one." Alice replies calmly.

"Then why was Bella talking about a cowboy?" Emmett looks so confused, bless him.

"I…I was talking about a cowboy…a cowboy…toy? Like, you know, Woody. From Toy Story." I receive an elbow in the ribs for my diabolical lying.

"Bell, we've always known you can't lie for shit." Emmett says in the most serious voice it just makes me laugh a lot.

"Well, it was either my excellent lying skills, or being murdered by Alice." Ow. Yep, that'll leave a bruise. A small, Alice shaped hand mark on my arm.

"So it's _Alice's_ cowboy? What's his real name?" Emmett asks, while Alice blushes. Alice is _actually blushing_? Gasp.

"Jasper." I tell him, since Alice seems incapable of speaking.

"Why were you calling him a cowboy, then?" Emmett says; laughing a bit as Alice hides her face in her hands.

"Because he used to live on an oil ranch in Dallas in Texas and he was wearing cowboy boots today!" I burst out, while Emmett laughs and Edward laughs at my outburst. I even catch Queen Bee crack a small smile.

"He's not a cowboy!" Alice shouts.

"Who's not a cowboy?" Esme asks, entering the room.

There's a large groan by Alice, followed by an 'ow' from me. Ah well, it was totally worth it.

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**A/N: What did you think of Emmett's reaction to Edward and Carlisle? :P**

**Review please! :)**

**P.S. To the guest reviewer: Thank you for your review, I'm glad you liked my take on Jasper! As for how the prostitute knew Edward was Carlisle's well... you will find out, just in a later chapter :) Hope that answers all your questions! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Bella:**

Alice has agreed to give me a lift to school today, since my car is pretty broken at the moment. Jacob will definitely be needed to come and fix it.

"Thanks for the lift!" I grin as I get into the car. I notice that a certain cowboy is sat in the front next to Alice, so I sit in the back with Edward. Alice turns around just to glare at me, claiming she's annoyed since now Esme's convinced Alice is going out with Jasper, and apparently gave her the safe sex talk last night. I laughed. A lot. "Hey Cowboy." I add, maybe just to wind Alice up a bit.

"Cowboy? Do y'all think I'm a cowboy?" Jasper asks.

"Yep. But in a good way. I'd love to go to Texas!" I lean forward and see that, yes, Jasper is again wearing cowboy boots.

"Oh, Bella, I've decided we're having a big party for your birthday!" Alice smirks as she tells me this.

"Is this my punishment for telling Emmett about the Cowboy?" I sigh, while Edward chuckles a bit.

"Of course. Now, we'll have to invite Queenie, and then Emmett will come, I'll be there, Edward, do you want to come? Oh, and Jasper, you can come if you want?" Alice goes into full party-planner mood, soon to be issuing out orders to all of us.

"Y-yeah, i-if that's o-ok with Bella…" Edward mutters.

"Of course it is! You're practically family to me, now." I smile at him.

"It'd be a pleasure to come, Miss Bella." Cowboy drawls.

"The more the merrier!" Alice sings. Once we reach school, we go our separate ways, apart from Alice and Jasper, who hold hands and walk off together.

At lunch time, Alice goes completely crazy with birthday plans. Well, she's always crazy, but she's going, if possible, crazier.

"Right, now, who do you want to invite? See, I was thinking Angela, Ben, Jessica, Lauren, Eric, Tyler, Bree, Riley, Diego, Fred, Tanya, Kate, Irina and…is there anyone else?" Alice is writing down the people as she speaks.

"Heidi, maybe?" I offer, to which Alice nods her head and scribbles her name down.

"You a fan of sports, Edward?" Cowboy asks, breaking the party planning. Not that I'm complaining about that, or anything.

"Um…y-yeah. I l-like basketball." Edward replies.

"Well, I was thinkin' 'bout goin' for the basketball team. You wanna come with?" Cowboy asks. He seems sweet, even with his cowboy boots.

"Y-yeah, I'd l-like that. Th-thanks." Edward grins shyly. I wonder if he's good at sports?

"My pleasure." Jasper drawls. He drawls everything, pretty much.

"Y'all finished? Lunch is 'bout to end." I ask, trying to do a Texas accent. Judging by the laughing, I'm not too good at it.

"Nice try, Miss Bella." Jasper smirks.

"Whatever, Cowboy. I would fit right in on a ranch in Texas. Oh, and on a completely unrelated topic, is saying someone's hair reminds you of oil a positive or negative thing?" Alice glares at me, while Cowboy smirks.

"A compliment, Miss Bella, 'cause this little miss' hair reminds me of home." Cowboy ruffles Alice's hair, and I'm thoroughly surprised he doesn't get a glare from her. When I so much as gently touch her hair, she goes crazy! Damn, she must really like him.

When it's the end of the day, Alice and I go to the gym to watch Jasper and Edward try out for the basketball team.

"You really like Jasper, don't you?" I ask after we've taken our seats.

"He's sweet and caring, and funny. Yeah, I can see myself falling for him." Alice sighs wistfully.

"Already? Isn't it a bit…soon?" I question, because I don't want to see Alice getting hurt.

"I don't love him _yet_, but I know we'll be together for a long time." Alice then proceeds to look over the gym to try and spot her Cowboy. While she does that, I find myself looking out for Edward. I spot him, standing awkwardly near the door to the gym, looking anxious at all the loud boys surrounding him.

"Looking at Edward?" Alice teases. Shit, I didn't realise I was so obvious.

"I'm just making sure he's ok. Like a friend would, you know." I mumble while looking at other people just so Alice doesn't get suspicious.

"Whatever, unsubtle, rubbish liar." Alice jokes.

"Yeah, you pixie-on-drugs." I joke right back.

"Hey! I'm not a pixie!" Alice protests.

"Oh right, I'm sorry, I forgot. You're an oil rig!" That earns me a hit to the arm. "You're a very violent person, you know. I think you need anger management, or something."

"I DO NOT NEED ANGER MANAGEMENT!" Alice shouts, making us receive some weird looks while we just laugh. I see Jasper look up to us and laugh, as well.

"Crazy, oil rig pixie." I tell her as Coach Clapp walks into the gym. He begins barking out orders, making Edward look even more scared.

Soon enough, all the boys begin dribbling the balls around the hall. After they do some more of that and other training things – like running and press ups, both of which I hate – they begin shooting hoops.

They take it in turns shooting firstly straight on. When it's Edward's time to go, Alice and I cheer, hoping to relieve some of his nerves. He looks so nervous, bless him. He looks up to us, and grins a little at me. I grin back and cheer him again, which seems to prompt him to take a shot.

He does, and it goes straight in, earning him an even larger cheer from Alice and I. Cheerleaders are so not as enthusiastic as we are.

Cowboy takes his shot, and like Edward's, it goes in with ease. Cue another cheer from Alice and me.

Once everyone has taken some shots, a game is set up. Cowboy and Edward are on the same team, so that's the team Alice and I cheer for. For the most part, Edward stays away from the action, until Cowboy seems to give him a pep talk or something. That seems to spur him on, causing him to catch the ball and head straight for the hoop. Somehow, he manages to fight off all the others, and get to the other side of the court.

He seems far away from the hoop, but with Cowboy shouting _'Shoot, Edward!'_ he goes for it. It goes in, causing a big cheer of joy from his team, and Alice and me. I feel like I'm in one of those films, where an important match is being played and the main character scores in the last few seconds.

Whatever, I'm happy for Edward. He seems pretty happy, too.

Shortly after, the game finishes, with Edward and Cowboy's team winning. The coach choses people to be on the team, and both Edward and Cowboy make it. Alice and I both rush down to congratulate them, with her going straight to Cowboy, giving him a big kiss on the cheek and hugging him. Judging by the pinkish tint to her cheeks, she didn't mean to be that excited, but Cowboy doesn't seem to mind.

I go over to Edward and hug him. At first he seems a bit tense, but then he relaxes and tightens his arms around me.

"You were awesome!" I compliment, to which he just chuckles and pushes his glasses up his face. Cute.

"T-thank you. I c-couldn't have d-done it w-with-out your and A-Alice's cheers." He smiles sheepishly at me.

"Then I guess I'll have to come watch every game, won't I?" I promise him. He nods his head eagerly in response.

"Well done, Masen, that was some natural talent I saw there. Have you played on a team before?" Coach Clapp says while patting Edward on the back.

"N-no, sir." Edward answers.

"I can see you having a good career in basketball, if that's what you want." Coach smiles before walking off. Edward and I walk over to Alice and Cowboy, before going into her car.

"What do you want to do when you're older?" I ask Edward once we're in the car.

"I'd like to study astrophysics. Space really interests me, and I'd really like to visit NASA some time." Edward said, and I noticed that when he was talking about space he seemed really passionate and didn't stutter once.

"That's so cool! I'd love to go to NASA too." I reply, smiling so widely since he didn't stutter. I don't think he's even noticed he didn't.

"W-what d-do you w-want to do…w-when y-you're older?" Edward asks.

"I've always wanted to open my own bookshop, and maybe write a book. I love English, it's my favourite subject." I grin at him.

"M-my favourite subject i-is maths." Edward smiles back.

"You'll have to help me with my maths homework sometime then!" I joke.

"I c-can…if y-you want?" Edward asks nervously.

"Of course! I welcome all the help I can get with maths." We reach my house then, so I say a quick goodbye to everyone before going back inside.

Maybe, if Edward keeps opening up more, his stutter will get better.

* * *

**A/N: What did you think of the basketball? :D**

**Random questions, what are your favourite subjects? I'm with Edward on this, maths all the way!**

**And, has anyone been to NASA? I have, it was so totally awesome! I went back in March last year, and saw the shuttle on the launch pad! But, because the take-off was delayed, we didn't get to see it go off :( It was still awesome though!**

**Review please! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Bella:**

"Right, so firstly we need to get decorations, I'm thinking a green theme, then we need to get our outfits, then we need to get a cake, oh, and we need some food and refreshments…" I tune Alice out then, just 'mhmm-ing' whenever needed. Alice has decided my party is going to be on Saturday, which is two days from now, and my birthday is tomorrow. So, we're having a rush trip to Port Angeles to buy everything. "…and you're gonna need to go off and do your own thing while I get your present…" Alice continues.

"Wait, Alice, I was going to make a cake!" I interrupt.

"I said about buying a cake five minutes ago! Are you even listening to me?" Alice huffs, glaring at me instead of looking at the road. I have no idea how she passed her driving test.

"Yeah, but I needed some time to process what you were saying." I grin at her, earning an eye-roll and another huff.

As soon as we're out of the car, Alice is marching so quickly towards the shopping centre that I have to do a weird part jog part run thing to catch up with her. She heads straight to a shop filled with party decorations, stating how if we start clothes shopping now, we'll get pre-occupied. I think she means _she'll_ get pre-occupied, not me.

"You know the green theme? Don't we have enough green in Forks already?" I tentatively question, since Alice can get pretty crazy sometimes.

"Hmmm…that _is_ a good point…" Alice mumbles, tapping her chin in thought.

"It is?" I'm a little shocked, actually.

"Yep! But what other colour theme could we go for? Orange…too bright, yellow – no, hmm, what about blue?" Alice speaks to herself while wondering through the shop and looking for decorations. "Yes, blue." Alice decides, and then begins to pick up about every single item in the shop that's blue.

"What decorations are we having, then?" I ask, since she already has a pretty big bundle.

"Well, every party has to have balloons, then there are some banners and streamers. It's gonna be great! Oooh, we should get some fireworks!" Alice squeals, running off to another aisle in the shop.

"Fireworks? Don't you have to be 18 to buy them?" I ask Alice.

"Oh, damn. I'll just call mum." Alice takes out her phone, and calls her right then. "Hey mum…yeah, we're good…no, Bella hasn't had an accident…ok…ok…so, anyway…yeah?...back to what I was calling about…could you buy some fireworks…yeah, fireworks…why? for Bella's party…thank you!...love you too, bye!" Alice looks back up to me, grinning, before resuming shopping.

Why does everyone always assume I've had some sort of accident? I'm not _that_ accident prone…ok, that's a lie, but still!

Alice pays for all her haul after much protest from me, and we move on to the next shop.

Once all the important party things are bought, Alice drags me into some clothes shops, insisting I need a new outfit for my party. I try on countless dresses, before Alice says the dark blue one looked best.

Then, I'm shooed away, since Alice needs to get my birthday present, apparently.

I go to a cake shop, to get some decorations for the cake I'm going to make. My mum offered to bake me a cake, but she's not the best with cooking. Basically, the last time she tried to make a cake she set the oven on fire. I have no idea how it happened, but me and dad have kept her away from cooking ever since.

Shortly after, I meet up with Alice again, and we head back to her car. She's hiding my present from me, between the countless other bags she's holding.

"On Saturday I'll come by to help you set everything up, ok?" Alice asks as we drive back to Forks.

"That's fine with me." I nod for confirmation. "Oh, how are Esme and Carlisle doing?" I ask, since I haven't heard much about them lately. Everyone seems so unsure as to whether or not Esme will take back Carlisle.

"Dad's been sleeping in the spare room since mum found out, but other than that I don't really know. They haven't kinda…since they found out, they haven't spoken much. I think what they need is to just have one big argument to get everything out in the open." Alice replies.

"Yeah, maybe that'll happen soon." I say back. If I was in Esme's situation, I probably would have screamed, shouted, and kicked Carlisle out. But I suppose it's harder for her, since she has children with him, and has been with him for so long.

Alice drops me off at my house, and I go inside to see my mother and father sat next to each other in the living room, cuddling up together. Most children would probably find that gross, but I think it's sweet they're still so in love.

"Hey, I'm back." I grin as they jump a little and put some distance between each other. I feel like the parent, who's caught their child with their boyfriend or girlfriend. I snicker a bit.

"Hey sweetie, did you have fun shopping with Alice?" My mum asks as I take a seat in a chair opposite the sofa.

"Great, the pixie dragged me around so many shops!" My parents love Alice almost as much as I do.

"She's helping keep you in shape, Bells." My dad jokes.

"Yeah, and she's doing a good job of it!" I joke along with him.

"Have you heard any more about Esme and Carlisle?" Mum asks me.

"Alice said they're sleeping in separate rooms and not really talking." I relay the information to her.

"It's going to be hard for them next week." My mum comments cryptically.

"What? Why?" I ask.

"It's their silver wedding anniversary." My mum says sadly. "25 years." She adds after seeing my puzzled look.

"Oh…I really hope they're ok." I mumble.

We return to watching the TV, but after 10 minutes I excuse myself to go up to my room. I hang up my outfit for my party, before getting ready for bed. I know it's early, but shopping with Alice really does tire you out.

*********LLB*********

"Happy birthday, Bella!" A voice says, though I'm still mostly asleep.

"What?" I mumble from under the covers. The covers are pulled away from my eyes, resulting in a blinding light making me not see anything.

"Bella, it's your birthday!" The voice, that I now recognise as my mothers, says.

"Oh, right." I rub my eyes and stretch while sitting up. I don't feel older.

"Here's your present from your father and I!" My mum says, handing me a nicely wrapped up package.

"Thank you." I smile at her, a bit more awake now. I open the package to reveal a box inside. I open up the small sized box, and see a charm bracelet inside, with a couple of charms already attached. "Thank you so much!" I grin at my mum and dad, getting a little emotional.

"Your dad suggested the bell for one of the charms, since he calls you Bells." My mum admits, and I look over to my dad to see tears in his eyes.

"Thank you so much!" I fix the bracelet around my wrist, and look at the other charm. It's a deer, like Bambi (my favourite film, and my favourite animal). "It's perfect." I add, admiring it on my wrist.

"We're glad you like it." My dad says, so I go over and hug first him, then mum.

I get dressed in jeans and a dark blue long sleeved top, and keep on the bracelet. I really do love it a lot. It probably cost a lot, and I know my parents aren't the richest of people. It really means a lot, especially the charms.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY BELLA!" Alice shouts once I opened the door to her. Edward is standing next to her looking both amused and scared at his sister.

"Thank you! Look what my parents got me!" I grin and show Alice the bracelet, who looks at it closely.

"Wow, that's so pretty!" She grins at me, before we walk over to her car.

"H-happy bir-birthday, Bella." Edward says to me on the way.

"Awww, thank you." I smile at him, and then see none other than Cowboy in the car. Every day this week he's travelled to and from school with us. And, since Edward opened up to me about what he wants to do when he's older, we've been getting closer.

"Happy birthday, Miss Bella." Cowboy turns around and tells me.

"Why thank you, Mr Jasper." I reply in my best Texas impersonation. I'm getting better, I swear.

When we arrive at school, we all head to our first lessons. Angela wishes me a happy birthday at the start of English, and we talk a bit about my upcoming party. Even though I initially didn't want a big party, I'm actually quite looking forward to it.

* * *

**A/N: Looking forward to the party tomorrow? :D**

**Review please! :)**

**Oh, and I just got Twitter so...follow me? katywonderland_**


	6. Chapter 6

**Bella:**

The cake is made, the garden is decorated, and Alice and I are all dressed up. My parents are staying in a hotel in Port Angeles for the weekend, but my dad firmly reminded me that just because the chief of police was out of town it didn't mean there wouldn't be other officers, so I was to keep the party relatively quiet.

There was still going to be music, but that was mainly indoors. Also, I'm pretty sure some people would be bringing alcohol, but as long as all traces of it were gone by the time my parents were back that was fine by me.

"Look what I got you, Bella!" Alice grins, handing me a bottle of cider. I thank her and then go over to turn up the music a bit.

Shortly afterwards, Cowboy and Edward (I need to think of a nickname for him) turn up. Alice immediately goes to Cowboy, so I sit and talk with Edward. Emmett and Queen Bee are the next to come, and after them everyone arrives in the next half an hour.

I was right about the alcohol, as everyone seems to have brought their own. I decide to start on the cider, since pretty much everyone else is drinking.

"You want some?" I offer to Edward. I scan the crowd and see he is the only one without an alcoholic beverage in his hand.

"I'm g-good." Edward replies, motioning to his can of Pepsi. I nod, and then walk over to where most of the people are to mingle.

"Bella! Happy birthday little sis!" Emmett grins, picking up and twirling me round. I see Queen Bitch scowling, so I stick my tongue out at her. Ha.

"Thanks Emmy-bear!" I reply once the twirling has stopped.

"Don't get too drunk, kiddo." Emmett reminds me.

"Alright, _dad_." I mutter sarcastically.

I wander around some more, and notice Alice and Cowboy dancing. It's sweet, because, unlike most people, they're not grinding with each other; they're just slow dancing even if it doesn't fit with the music. Seriously, how are they _not_ together yet?

"Hey Bella! Want some?" Jessica offers me her bottle of some blue thing that I presume is alcohol. I accept, since I seemed to have finished my cider, and take a big swig. Man, that's strong.

I cough and splutter a bit afterwards, but soon I'm fine again. And I want to dance.

"Wanna dance?" Tyler asks. I look around and decide that he seems the best to dance with, since everyone else is with their partners.

"Sure, why not." I reply, taking his arm and swaying to the music. I hold on tightly to him, since I'm clumsy at the best of times.

After dancing with Tyler, or more, _swaying_ with Tyler, I walk off to go and find more alcohol. I find a can of something, and so just decide to drink it.

I feel a bit dizzy, so I stumble over to the sofa to sit down. It's lower than I thought, though, so I half fall onto it. And then I giggle, 'cause it felt like the fall was a lot longer.

"Woah…s-steady. Are y-you dr-drunk?" Edward stutters.

"Nope!" I pop the p, before continuing, "I'm just havin' fun, you know? Just…just living."

"Y-you were s-slurring that, B-Bella. I-I'll go and…and g-get you water." Edward walks off then, so I lie back some more on the sofa. Actually, I think I'm fully lying down right now.

"Edward! You're back! I thought you left me!" I squeal, trying to hug him.

"H-here. D-rink this." Edward hands a plastic cup filled with water.

"I don't wanna!" I whine, pushing the water away and accidentally spilling it on Edward. "Oopsie!" I giggle.

Instead of letting me hold the water, Edward holds up the back of my head and brings the water to my lips. It's like I'm a baby or something.

"You're really pretty, Edward. Like, not in a _girly_ way, but just…" I sigh, trying to think of the right word, "Just pretty, you know?"

"No, I d-don't know." Edward replies, making me drink some more water.

"No, it's like… Emmett's like my brother, right?" I nod, confirming this, "So, does that mean _you're_ like my brother? 'Cause Alice is like my sister…"

"Bella, y-you're dr-drunk. You don't k-know what y-you're…what you're saying." Edward replies, looking confused.

"I meeeaaaan, that I think you're pretty, but is it wrong since your family is _my_ family. Like, would it be like going out with my brother?" Why doesn't he understand? I understand. I always understand myself, so why shouldn't other people?

"W-would what? I d-don't understand y-you." Edward stutters, still forcing me to drink the water.

"You! I. Like. You. But are you like my brother? 'Cause if you are, that's just wrong." I explain to him. "When did my top get wet? Is it raining?" I ask suddenly, looking down at my top.

"F-firstly, we're inside. Y-ou're t-top is wet because…b-because you, um, dribbled." Edward explains.

"Oh. Shit. Um, sorry." I wipe my mouth, just in case there's more dribble.

"D-don't be." Edward says, but I'm not reassured. Who dribbles when they have a two digit number for their age? Well, maybe when they're _a lot_ older. 18 years olds don't dribble.

"Bella! There you are! Why is your top wet? Anyway, I thought you might want this!" Alice squeals, handing me a can of cider, I think. I love cider.

"I love youuu, Al-lice! Ha, your name has lice in it! YOU HAVE LICE!" I shout out while eagerly taking the cider.

"I t-think you've had enou-enough." Edward says, taking the can away.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! HELP ME! SOMEBODY! ALICE! COWBOY!" I screech, but no one comes to my rescue.

"Shhh, Bella. Y-you'll thank me to…tomorrow." Edward says, hiding the can. I scowl at him.

"I'm not even drunk. I'm okaaaaaay! I'm ffffine!" I tell him, but he doesn't listen.

"O-ok, I'll test you. P-prove that you…that you a-are fine." Edward says, so I nod my head eagerly. "Say t-the 7 t-times table."

"That's eashy. 7, 14, 22, 39, 47, 58, 69…ha, 69! 782, 965…wait, what am I saying?" That was right, right?

"Y-you got t-the first two right." Edward sighs.

"I can't do them sober though!" I exclaim, but Edward looks sceptical. "Test me again!"

"W-what's the square r-root of 64?" He asks. I know this, it's…

"Oh! Oh! It's 42!" I grin, proud of myself.

"N-no, it's 8." Edward says, trying not to laugh. I pout.

"I thought you halved it?" I mutter, trying to remember how the hell he got 8.

"No. 8 t-times 8 is 64. 42 i-isn't half of 64 anyway." Edward sighs. "N-now, y-you should lie down." Edward says, tilting me to make me lie down on the sofa.

"Stay wiv me!" I plead, and he agrees. "Edward, you need a nickname." I announce.

He chuckles, before speaking, "Like c-cowboy for Jasper?"

"Uh huh! You shall he called…hmm, well, you're really, really, really, really clever…how about… Ed-geek! Ednerd? Ednerd! 'Cause, _nerd_ instead of _werd_." I giggle happily.

"Um, m-my name ends w-ward, not werd." Edward laughs. Most probably _at_ me, not _with_ me.

"Still, you'll forever be known by me as Ednerd!" I'm so clever. That should be my job when I'm older, to come up with nicknames for people.

"Ok, B-Bella." Edward says, still laughing a bit.

"You know, I love you already, Ednerd. Even though your dad was an idiot, I love you. You know, in the same way I love Emmett. Though," I lower my voice to a whisper, "you're hotter than Emmett!" Edward blushes, and then I hear a booming laugh.

"What did I say about not getting too drunk, kiddo? That wasn't a whisper, more a shout!" Emmett laughs. Oops.

"You jealous, Emmy-bear?" I giggle, since he so totally is.

"Oh, I'm so incredibly jealous right now." Emmett says sarcastically.

"Whatever! Anyway, Edward isn't called Edward no more! His new name is Ednerd! Geddit? 'Cause he's so clever!" Emmett laughs at my nickname for Edward, making Edward blush even more.

"Great name, little 'un." Emmett laughs before walking off.

"Don't blush, Ednerd, he liked the name!" I lean over and place a sloppy kiss on one of Edward's red cheeks, just 'cause they looked soft. They are. Soft, that is.

"O-ok. I-I'll go a-and get m-more wat-water." Edward quickly hurries off. Did I scare him away? I still have half my water left…

I lie back down on the sofa, and soon enough I'm falling asleep. It's just too comfortable not to, you know?

I'll tidy up tomorrow…

* * *

**A/N: What do you think of a drunk Bella? :D**

**Yeah, so, my friend was pretty much like how Bella was last night. I felt like her mother ;) I asked her the square root of 64, and she said 42! Anyone got any funny drunk stories? :P**

**Review please! :)**

**Follow me on Twitter; katywonderland_**


	7. Chapter 7

**Bella:**

Ow.

Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow.

My head hurts. A lot.

When I wake up, I find that I'm in bed, though I don't remember how I got here. Judging by the pills and glass of water on my bedside table, someone moved me and put them there as they knew how much my head would hurt.

I reach over and take the pills, hoping they are fast working or something. That's the first thing sorted out, my headache. Now, I need to go downstairs and assess the mess left. It's now…shit, it's 10:30 a.m. now, and my parents are back at 1 p.m.

Right, ok, it's quite a mess down here, but not as bad as I was expecting. Most of the cans and bottles have been disposed of, and it looks as though someone has cleaned some of the tables a bit.

I clean the rest of the living room and garden – though there isn't too much to do – and then try to sort out the final problem.

What the hell did I blurt out when drunk?

I honestly dread to think of what I said, so I call Alice. Hopefully, she wasn't as drunk as me, and so she can help me out.

"Bella, hi!" Alice squeals, sounding not hung-over. That's a good sign, right?

"Hey…" I mumble back, not half as excited as she is.

"Oh, that bad, huh? You were insanely hammered last night! You were hilarious!" I groan, my cheeks heating up due to embarrassment even though no one can see me right now.

"Did I…what did I say? I mean, I can't remember _that_ much?" I question, hoping Alice remembered something.

"Um, well, you spent a lot of time with Edward. He sorta looked after you, giving you water and stuff. Oh! And, at one part, you shouted out that Edward was hotter than Emmett! Man, that was hilarious! You shoulda see Queenie's face!" Alice cackles, seemingly in hysterics over my behaviour. Meanwhile, my face is now probably the colour of beetroot.

"I didn't! Oh my god, I need to apologise to Edward! Shit, what else did I do?" I hope I didn't do anything else but, knowing me, there's a whole ton more.

"You gave Edward a nickname of Ed_nerd_, told him you loved him, and placed a big kiss on his cheek." Oh god. Oh god, oh god, oh god. I can't actually believe myself right now.

Why do I let myself drink alcohol? Seriously? It only causes more problems! I mean, yeah, I like Edward, but I barely know him. And, yes, I find him fairly attractive. Ok, very attractive. If I'm being completely honest, I think he's pretty hot.

Do I have a crush on Edward?

Even if I do, it doesn't matter. He was shy beforehand, and now I've probably scared him telling him I love him after only knowing him for a week. I'm an idiot, a complete and utter idiot.

Oh, and giving him the nickname _Ednerd_. What was I thinking? He probably thinks I was making fun of him.

"Bella? Are you still there?" Alice inquires.

"Oh, yeah, I'm just realising what an idiot I was and how your brother probably hates me." I whine over dramatically.

"I think Emmett was a bit offended at the hotness remark, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't really care, and he was-"

"Not that brother, Alice! Edward!" I interrupt, because I'm not worried about Emmett. He was probably in hysterics over my behaviour.

"Edward? No, he seems fine. He even stayed after everyone left to tidy up. Though, he had to leave as dad was angry at him staying out so late. I think he thought you and Edward were…you know-ing." Alice informs me.

"He did? That's so sweet!" I exclaim. I can't believe he did that for me.

"Oh my god you so have a crush on my brother!" Alice squeals loudly.

"Ow! Be quite 'round the girl with the major hangover! And no I don't!" I say, though I totally think I do.

"Whatever, you so do." Alice says, again in a squeal. Albeit, a quieter squeal than before.

"So, how are things between you and Cowboy?" I giggle, since one thing I _do_ remember from last night is that they were pretty much inseparable.

"He kissed me after he took me home last night!" She shouts into the phone.

"That's so awesome! I'm happy for you guys! Wait…does this mean you're together now?" I ask happily.

"Um…we never really discussed that." Alice mutters.

"Oh, have I just made an awkward comment?" Just then, I hear the door open and my parent's shouting out that they're home, "Sorry, have to go. Bye, love you!" I hang up then, and walk over to greet my parents properly.

"Hey mum, hey dad." I smile, giving them both a quick hug.

"Hey sweetie, how was the party?" My mum asks.

"It was good, I had fun." I show them both some of the presents I was given, while they tell me about going shopping in Port Angeles.

After that, I go up to my room to lie down for a bit in hopes of easing my headache. And to think about Edward; sort out my feelings for him.

I haven't spoken to him too much during his first week in Forks, though I have a bit. Maybe the most out of anyone, seeing as he doesn't really speak to anyone that much. Not that I blame him, due to the circumstances of his arrival. He does seem to be beginning to open up, however, especially with Jasper's help and persuasion to join the school basketball team.

*********LLB*********

Next morning, before school, I go over in my head my apology to Edward. I'm pretty sure he doesn't like me too much right now, but hopefully I can try to make amends.

Also, I baked some cookies yesterday. They should help.

When there's a knock at the door, I grab the box of cookies and my bag and quickly go answer it.

"Hey Bella! Or do I still need to whisper?" Alice teases.

"I'm fine, thank you very much." I tell her, adding in an eye roll.

"Oooh! Did you make cookies!?" Alice squeals, peering into the box as we walk over to her car.

"Yes, for Edward. To apologise." I tell her, getting into the back of the car next to Edward.

"Hello Miss Bella, how's ya head doin'?" Cowboy drawls.

"Um, I'm ok. I was pretty bad yesterday, though." I reply, before turning to Edward. "Hi." I mutter, since I plan on apologising once we get to school.

"H-hey. How a-are y-you?" He asks, fidgeting nervously with his hands.

"I'm good, thanks, how are you?" I reply politely.

"G-good." He mumbles in response.

When we reach school, Alice and Cowboy walk off hand in hand – if only it were into the sunset – so I take the opportunity to apologise to Edward.

"Look, I'm really sorry about what I did and said on Saturday night…I probably didn't make the night very fun with you looking after me. Not that I'm not thankful for what you did for me, and Alice told you how you tidied some of the things up. So, thank you and I'm sorry." I hold out the box of cookies, as well.

"D-don't be so-sorry. I d-didn't mind. A-are t-t-these…are these for me?" Edward asks, gesturing to the box of cookies.

"Yes, to show my sorrow." I tell him, once again offering him the cookies. He reaches in and takes one, seemingly tentatively taking a bite.

"T-these are re-really good. M-my mother wasn't a v-very good…a very good c-cook." Edward says in explanation for his hesitation.

"That's ok, I tend to bake a lot, so if I ever bring random treats to school, it's most likely that I got bored and so cooked." I joke to Edward, "Again, though, thanks for looking after me." I say more seriously.

"It's o-ok…it, uh, it w-was just like w-when I, um, looked a-after my mother." Edward blurts out, then covers his mouth to try and take it back.

"I'm so sorry. I just…I bet you think I'm an idiot! I promise, though, that's probably the most drunk I've ever been. I've only had a couple of sips before." I feel even worse, now, that I had to remind him of things like that, which he probably doesn't remember.

"N-no, it's f-f…it's fine!" Edward huffs before quickly walking off.

I've completely messed things up now, I know it. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this enough, but I'm a complete idiot.

I walk off to try to catch up to Edward to…well, apologise again for my idiocy, but I can't find him. Then, the bell goes, so I have to go to my lesson instead of finding him. It's lunch time before I see Edward again, so I purposely sit next to him in order to apologise.

"About before, I-" I begin, but he cuts me off.

"D-don't apologise ag-again. It i-isn't you-your f-fault…that my mother w-was an alcoholic." Edward tells me.

"I know, but I'm still sorry about making you remember those kind of memories." I tell him honestly, since I really do feel horrible about it.

"I-it's fine, ok." Edward states, so I go back to eating my food.

Though, it's very clear things most definitely _aren't_ fine.

* * *

**A/N: What did you think of the aftermath of Bella's drunken ramblings? :P**

**Review please! :)**

**Follow me on Twitter; katywonderland_**


	8. Chapter 8

**Bella:**

"Alice, I'm really sorry but somehow I've managed to mess things up with Edward!" I exclaim to her after school when we're both in her room at her house.

"What? What's happened?" Alice asks; her face filled with worry.

"You know how he looked after me at the party?" Alice nods, "He said it reminded him of when he used to look after his mother, and I feel so bad."

"Hey, I'm sure Edward's ok with you." Alice says in a reassuring way.

"I know he's not! He's…upset." I mutter, wanting to comfort him in some way. Alice phone starts ringing, and she quickly tells me it's Jasper before answering and excitedly talking to him for the next 10 minutes.

"Bella! Jasper just asked me out on a date! We're going to the cinema!" She squeals, before quickly grabbing her bag and stuffing random items in.

I follow her downstairs, since I'm guessing this is my cue to leave, when she gives me a big hug and tells me everything is going to be fine. Just as I'm about to leave, Edward calls my name and asks to speak to me.

"Hey." I smile at him, hoping to comfort him in some way.

"H-hi. I, um, wanted t-to talk t-to yo-you." Edward leads the way to his room, so I follow him around the large house. He gestures for me to take a seat on his couch, while he sits across from me on the bed, "I…I w-wanted to, uh, a-apologise for m-my behave-behaviour."

"No, Edward, you have nothing to apologise for! I'm not mad at you; I'm just…worried, for you. You don't seem to really open up to anyone." I tell him.

"I…N-no one s-says anything ab-about it, a-at least not t-to my fa-ce…but, m-my st-stutter is s-so annoying!" Edward admits, seeming to get annoyed with himself.

"When you were telling me about your dream job and visiting NASA." I tell him, since he didn't seem to notice it.

"R-Really?" Edward asks, looking almost proud of himself.

"Yes, it's like…when you're talking about things that really interest you, you just get lost in talking about them." Hopefully, with finding this out, Edward can try and beat his stutter.

"I…I n-never thought of i-it like th-that." Edward says, looking much happier than I've ever really seen him.

"How about, um, how about I help you? With your stutter, I mean." I suggest nervously.

"Y-yes, thanks. I-I'd like t-that…a l-lot." Edward smiles at me, "I c-could help y-you with y-your maths. Y-you mentioned not be-being too g-good a-at it."

"That'd be great." I smile back, happy that things between Edward and I seem to be getting better.

"W-when my st-stutter's better, I'll t-tell you, uh, ab-about my…my m-mother." Edward says.

"Don't feel like I was asking you to tell me, I just thought it would be good for you to open up to someone." I tell him; though I am touched he'd chose to speak to me about it.

"N-no, I w-want to tell y-you. You-you're the p-person I'm c-closest t-to in Forks." Edward admits, not looking at me as he does.

"Really?" I ask, hoping my voice doesn't come out as squeaky as it sounded to me.

"Y-yes." Edward looks up at me this time, his smile much wider than before. I'm sure my smile is matching his.

"I…yeah, um, I feel close to you, uh, too." I mutter, and I'm pretty sure I'm blushing.

"Y-you've got m-my stutter!" Edward teases, still smiling.

"Soon neither of us shall have a stutter." I promise him.

"And s-soon both o-of us sh-shall love maths." Edward replies.

"Ok, I can't wait! How about we start tomorrow after school?" I suggest, to which Edward nods at, "Right, well, I'm gonna have to leave now, as my parents are probably wondering where I am." Then, without thinking, I lean over and kiss his cheek. When I lean back, it seems we're both equally shocked, and both blushing, "Sorry, I should just, uh, go."

"No, just, let me try something." Edward says, grabbing my hand to stop me from leaving. Then, he leans over, and kisses me ever so slowly on the lips. It's only a short kiss, but it's sweet and amazing.

"You didn't stutter." Is my choice of words to say afterwards. Edward lets out a small chuckle at my statement, but the blush is still on his face. He's too cute for words.

"I g-guess it's b-because I was, um, t-talking about something t-that really, uh, interested me." Edward grins.

I blush even more, before reluctantly saying, "I wish I could stay, but I really have to go now." I lean over and give him a quick kiss before saying goodbye one last time, and then leaving.

When I get home, I squeal into my pillow a bit, before finally going downstairs and beginning dinner. Mum said something about staying late with the children for extra lessons or something.

Now, onto more important topics. I kissed Edward! Oh god, it was amazing. So much better than kissing Mike, who just wanted to shove his tongue down my throat. Edward, however, was so gentle and just so amazing. And sweet. And tender. I just want to kiss him again.

Alice won't be mad that I kissed her brother, right? Or is there some code saying you're not allowed to kiss your best friend's brother? I hope not, because I definitely plan on doing some more Edward-kissing.

What if Edward doesn't want to do anymore kissing? Although, he was the one to initiate the lip-kiss, though I initiated the cheek-kiss. I _definitely_ over-think everything, it seems. But, I do know that I need to speak to both Alice and Edward about the…kissing.

When mum and dad come home, I serve the chicken breast and salad that I'd prepared.

"How was school today, kiddo?" Dad asks between bites of the chicken.

"It was ok. Edward's going to give me extra maths lessons after school." I tell them both.

"Edward? As in Edward, Carlisle's son?" Mum questions.

"Yeah, why?" What's to be shocked about that? He's nice and friendly, despite the circumstances.

"Might there be something more than just _maths_ going on?" My mum expands, causing me to blush and dad to start choking on his food. Way to go, mum.

"No! He's really smart, especially at maths, and I'm not the best at it so he offered to help me! That's all!" I quickly blurt out, though it's all mostly lies.

"Ok, I was just wondering, that's all. This meal is really delicious, Bella, you'll have to teach me how to make it some time." Mum says, thankfully changing the topic.

"Maybe, the last time I tried to teach you, you set the oven glove on fire." I remind her, my dad laughing at the memory.

After everything is cleaned up, I go upstairs where I see I have a text from Alice, asking me to call her.

"Bella. BEST FREAKIN' DATE OF MY LIFE!" Alice squeals down the phone to me

"So I'm guessing you enjoyed it?" I chuckle, since it's pretty obvious that she did.

"It was so amazing, Bella! He was just the perfect gentleman! Though, I am sorry for abandoning you." Alice says in a dreamy sigh.

"No, don't be, I was fine. I actually spoke to Edward." I really didn't mind her abandoning me, since it meant I got to kiss Edward. Gah! I still can't believe it!

"You did? What did you say?" Alice asks happily.

"He explained that everything was fine between us, and actually said I was the person he'd gotten closest too in Forks." I admit, probably in a squeal that matches Alice's.

"Awwww! You guys are too cute!" Alice gushes, "But, he is _not_ allowed to over-throw me as best friend, understand?" Alice adds seriously.

"I promise." I tell her in the same serious tone, before we both start giggling.

"Anyway, I-" Alice is cut off, as we can both hear shouting from her end.

"IF YOU DON'T WANT ME, JUST FUCKING SAY! I'VE LASTED THE FIRST 17 YEARS OF MY LIFE WITHOUT YOU, I DON'T NEED YOU ANY MORE!"

* * *

**A/N: What did you think of their kiss? And who do you think was shouting at the end? :O**

**Review please! :)**

**Follow me on Twitter; katywonderland_**


	9. Chapter 9

**Bella:**

_"IF YOU DON'T WANT ME, JUST FUCKING SAY! I'VE LASTED THE FIRST 17 YEARS OF MY LIFE WITHOUT YOU; I DON'T NEED YOU ANY MORE!"_

"Who the hell was that, Alice?" I ask, though there's more shouting in the background.

"Edward, I think. Get your parents round here now!" Alice says quickly before hanging up.

I run downstairs and into the living room, where my parents are watching TV.

"Mum, dad, we need to go to the Cullen's house! I was just on the phone with Alice and it sounds like Edward and Carlisle are having a big argument." I inform them hurriedly while grabbing my shoes.

"What?" My mum questions, looking confused with everything. I feel the same.

"I don't know! But Edward sounded _really_ angry." I tell them. They both get up, grab their own shoes, and then we quickly drive over to the Cullen house.

Mum knocks on the door, to reveal a nervous Alice who looks like she's been crying. I pull her into a big hug while my mum and dad go further into the house to the source of the shouting.

"Edward…and Carlisle…they're both really angry. I'm scared, Bella." Alice whimpers as we walk towards the living room where everyone seems to be.

"What happened? Where's Edward?" My mum asks.

"He's in his room, sulking, I suspect." Carlisle huffs. I like him less and less every day.

"Edward and Carlisle got in a fight." Esme supplies, since Carlisle answer didn't really answer anything.

"What about?" My mum asks, still trying to get more answers.

"Look, I just…slightly lost my temper. And I took it out on Edward." Carlisle sighs, though I feel no sympathy towards him. He deserves everything he gets.

"But Edward hasn't done anything wrong!" I protest, standing up for Edward since he isn't here.

"Bells, perhaps you could go up to Edward's room, to see how he's coping." My dad suggests, obviously sensing my rising annoyance at Carlisle.

I do as he says before I attempt to strangle Carlisle, and head straight to Edward's room. I can hear some banging going on inside, so I tentatively knock on the door instead of just barging in.

"Go away!" Edward's gruff voice shouts back.

"It's Bella." I shout back, hoping that he maybe won't mind seeing me.

The door opens revealing a broken looking Edward, who mutters sheepishly, "S-sorry. I thought y-you were C-C-Carlisle…" Edward opens the door wider, allowing me to walk past him into his bedroom.

I'm shocked by what I see, as there are several boxes half-filled with what looks to be Edward's possessions.

"Edward…what's going on?" I ask, as he's resumed his packing after letting me in.

"I'm l-leaving. It's c-clear I'm n-not, uh, wanted." He mutters, not looking at me. I grab his hand to stop him, but he winces when I do. I take a closer look at his hand and see a couple of his knuckles are swollen and beginning to bruise. Did Carlisle do that to him?

"What happened to your hand?" I ask in concern. Edward quickly shoves his hand in his pocket, once again wincing.

"N-nothing." Edward mumbles, turning away from me.

"Edward. What happened? Did Carlisle do that to you?" I demand, since if it was Carlisle, I swear to god…

"No! N-no! It w-wasn't him. I, uh, I k-kinda punched t-the wall." Edward finally admits, looking embarrassed.

"Show me you hand." I ask gently, not wanting to just grab it and cause him more pain.

"N-No." Edward refuses feebly.

"Please." I add, hoping he'll give in.

Reluctantly, he withdraws his hand from his pocket, letting me have a closer inspection. I compare his knuckles to the ones on his other hand, and see that they are swollen to almost three times their normal size.

"Your knuckles are either broken or very badly bruised. You need to rest your hand and take something for the pain." I tell him.

"H-how do y-you know, um, w-what to do?" Edward asks.

"I'm clumsy. I tend to break things a lot. Now, sit down on the couch, and stop packing things." He tries to protest, so I resort to pushing him down onto the couch, "Now, why do you think you're not wanted?"

"B-because C-Carlisle said so." Edward answers, looking down at his hand.

"Well, Carlisle's an idiot." I state, which makes Edward give me a sceptical look, "You're wanted by Alice, and Esme, and my parents, and…I want you."

"Y-you do?" Edward questions, sounding more hopefully.

"Of course I do." I smile at him.

Abruptly, he stands up and starts pacing around the room, "But t-that's n-not enough…I'm n-not wanted in th-this house! I w-was planning o-on leave-leaving when I w-was 18 anyway…I'll j-just leave s-so-sooner…"

"No! You can't leave, Edward! Think of all the people that would miss you!" I tell him, trying to make him see sense.

"C-Carlisle wouldn't m-miss me." Edward says, clearly not listening to a word I'm saying.

"So it doesn't matter that your half brother and sister you never knew about would miss you? Or the girl you were happily kissing this afternoon? Or did that not mean anything to you?" I know I shouldn't be getting frustrated with him, but I can't help it. I just…I can't let him go. He may not have been in my life that long, but I'm already pretty certain I'm miss him a hell of a lot.

"I-it's not t-the same!" Edward huffs, infuriating me further.

"Bella! Edward! Could you come downstairs for a minute?" Esme shouts to both of us.

"Come on, we'll talk more later." I warn him, heading towards the door. Just before I reach the handle, Edward stops me, spins me round, and kisses me. The kiss stops as abruptly as it started, with Edward storming out downstairs, leaving me flustered. Woah.

Everyone is gathered around in the living room, with Carlisle thankfully looking calmer and Alice looking less distraught.

"Edward, son, I'm incredibly sorry about the things I said before. I hope you know that I didn't mean any of them." Carlisle says as Edward takes a seat.

"D-don't worry ab-about me…I'm leaving." Edward announces, causing a collective gasp from everyone.

"Edward! You can't leave! You're my baby brother!" Only by a couple of months, but Alice loves the thought of a younger sibling.

"I-I'm sorry. I'll w-write letters." Edward mumbles.

"Don't listen to him, he's _not_ leaving." I add, shooting a glare towards Edward.

"I a-am!" Edward insists.

"You're only 17, kiddo, it's not legal anyway." My dad says.

"We j-just wouldn't t-tell the po-police." Edward answers, almost making me giggle.

"I am the police, kiddo." My dad informs him.

"I know since you've moved here things haven't been as easy, but they'll settle down." I'm surprised at first at Esme's words, but then I remember how nurturing she is, and how she'll feel this is all her fault when it clearly isn't.

"Esme and I are going to go away for a week, to see if we can fix our marriage. Just stay at least until after then." Carlisle reasons with Edward.

"F-fine." Edward huffs.

"I really am…what happened to your hand?" Carlisle asks, noticing the large knuckles.

"N-nothing." Edward mutters, trying to hide his hand, "Fine, I p-punched a wa-wall." He adds when everyone gives him sceptical looks.

"I'll take a look at it for you." Carlisle says, walking over and holding his hand out to look at Edward's.

"B-Bella already d-did. She s-said it w-was…it was either bad-badly bruised or br-broken." Edward says.

"I've got some medical bandages I can put on it, and then we'll take you to the hospital tomorrow, ok?" Carlisle asks.

"I-I have a st-stutter, I'm n-not a b-baby." Edward says, holding out his hand while Carlisle grabs the first aid box.

"I'm sorry, I just…" Carlisle trails off as he starts bandaging Edward's hand. Whilst doing this, Edward grabs my hand and squeezes it tightly to keep from wincing, I suppose.

After he's all bandaged up, I take him back up to his room to unpack some of his things for him.

"Sorry for shouting at you before." I tell him, since it's a bit awkward because neither of us was saying anything.

"I-it's fine. I w-was just up-upset." Edward mutters, before adding, "You d-don't know wh-what it's like…t-to have neither o-of your p-parents w-want you." Ok, now I'm just angry with Edward again. Firstly, Carlisle is _trying_, and secondly, he doesn't know what he's talking about.

"You are so infuriating! Carlisle is trying, Edward, but you've got to try too! And I don't know what it's like? Well, here's news for you, buddy! My _birth_ parents gave me up, because I was too much of a hassle for them! They'd rather be getting high and breaking the law than looking after a child! My parent's downstairs, Renée and Charlie, adopted me, when I was just a year old! So, actually, I _do_ fucking know what it's like!" When I finish my speech, I march out of the room, slam the door, and run downstairs and straight into my parent's car.

* * *

**A/N: What did you think of the argument chapter? And Bella's revelation at the end? :O**

**Review please! :)**

**Follow me on Twitter; katywonderland_**


	10. Chapter 10

**Bella:**

My parents try to ask me what's wrong, but I just ask them if we can go home. Thankfully, they drop it, but I can tell they'll continue their questioning tomorrow.

Once we're back home, I run straight to my room and sob into my pillow. It hurts to think about my real parents. Every so often they try to get in contact, but I don't want to know them. A couple of years ago was the last time they tried to contact me, it seems as though they've given up now.

When I finally do get to sleep, I'm restless and full of nightmares. My parents told me when they first adopted me, I would never sleep through the night as I'd scream about the nightmares I was having. And, my mum took drugs a couple of times while pregnant with me, but thankfully there were no major side-effects.

In the morning, my mum wakes me up, again asking if I'm ok.

"What happened last night?" She asks, clearly worried.

"It was nothing…Edward and I had a bit of a fight," I tell her, not wishing to bring up my birth parents.

"What about? I haven't seen you that upset in ages, honey?" My mum asks.

"Like I said before, it was nothing. I'm fine now," I smile at her to show her I'm fine before getting out of bed.

Alice picks me up again for school, so I reluctantly sit in next to Edward. I look forward instead of at him, remaining silent.

"You didn't say bye to me when you left yesterday, Bell!" Alice tells me.

"Oh, sorry," I mutter.

"B-Bella…c-can we, um, t-t-talk?" Edward asks quietly.

"I…alright," I sigh. I feel bad being such a bitch to him; it's not as if he hasn't had enough of people being harsh to him. And…I _guess_ it wasn't his fault, how was he to know? Only Alice, her parents and my parents know the truth.

"I'm r-really sorry…that m-must have be-been tough," Edward mutters, fiddling with the bandage on his hand instead of looking at me.

"I'm really sorry, too, for getting so mad at you. It wasn't your fault, it's more _them_ I'm angry than you," I now feel really bad, since I went totally crazy at him for no reason. He most probably hates me. I hate me.

"Are w-we still o-on f-for…for tonight? A-after school?" Edward asks timidly.

"Yes, of course! It'll be great!" I tell him, feeling happier now. This will be my way of repaying Edward. Edward always seems to make me happier.

"G-good." Edward smiles, slowly reaching over to take my hand. I blush as he does so, casting him a sly glance. He just shrugs a little, smiling.

Once we arrive at school, Edward lets go of my hand since we have to get out of different sides of the car. After we're out, Alice and Cowboy walk off to their lesson, leaving just Edward and I standing awkwardly by the car.

"I've, uh, got to go to my first lesson now," I smile and give him an awkward wave before walking off, tripping a couple of times. Smooth, Bella.

At the end of the day, I go the Alice and Edward's house, since our after-school stutter lessons are beginning.

"So, I don't _really_ know what to do, I mean, I'm no speech therapist, but I think if you just try to get comfortable, and think about exactly what you're going to say," I tell him. I Googled it a bit at lunch, though that's probably not the most reliable source for information.

"O-ok. First, t-though," Edward leans across to give me a short and sweet peck on the lips.

"Ok, right, well, how about we start with you saying something like, 'Hello, my name is Edward'," I suggest.

"Hello, my n-name is E-Edward…dammit! H-Hello, m-m…my…"

"Edward, stop. Remember, think about what you are going to say, and try to keep calm. Next time, I'll bring calming music," I tease, trying to lighten the mood.

"Hello, my…my name is E-Edward," Edward says slowly.

"Well done!" I praise him.

"Was t-that good?" Edward asks.

"Most definitely," I grin, quickly pecking his lips. What, I couldn't resist. "How about we try to find out when you began stuttering, and then we can see if we can help solve that problem," Another Google suggestion.

"Um…I t-think I was, uh, a-around 11?" Edward says, thinking deeply.

"Do you know why?" I ask carefully.

"N-no," Edward states firmly.

"Edward, I think it might be easier if you speak to someone more professional about this. I'm just basing my suggestions on Google! I think a speech therapist or someone like that would really help you," I suggest to him, hoping he'll take my advice. It's not that I mind helping him; it's just that I don't think I'm the best person to help him.

"B-But I fe-feel comfortable t-t-talking…talking with y-you," Edward insists.

"I know, but soon you'll get comfortable speaking with a speech therapist," I tell him, trying to convince him.

"I'll t-think about, uh, it," Edward huffs.

"Really?" I ask, smiling.

"F-fine. But o-only because I c-can't s-s-say no t-to you," Edward says, rolling his eyes at me.

"Good, I really believe it would help," I smile at him.

After hanging out with him for a bit longer, I reluctantly have to go; only I leave today on a lighter note. And with a kiss from Edward.

"I'm starting to think you're replacing me with my brother," Alice says as soon as I step out of the room.

"Shit…you scared me!" I hope she didn't see me kiss Edward, she'd be pissed.

"Whatever, dude, do I get a goodbye this time?" Alice grins.

"Yeah, goodbye!" I shout before beginning to run off.

"Hey!" Alice literally jumps on me and tackles me into a hug, before letting me go.

Once I finally made to get the oil-hair-coloured pixie off me, I walk the short distance home.

*********LLB*********

When I wake up the next morning, I stretch and stumble out of bed, making a beeline for the bathroom. I take a quick shower, washing my hair, and then get out and dry myself. I pull my hair up into a ponytail while it dries and wrap the towel around my body.

I walk back into my room to choose some clothes to wear, but then decide to open the curtains to see what the weathers like. It's probably raining, but on the off chance that it's not it's good to check.

"AH! WHAT THE HELL!" I shriek when I open the curtains.

"Are you alright up there?" My mum shouts up.

"Yes! I'm fine!" I shout back, still peering in wonder out the window.

Just outside my window is Edward, on a ladder. What. The. Hell. I open the window to speak to Edward, to ask him what's happening.

"Edward, why are you outside my window before school?" I ask him in a hushed tone so that my mother doesn't hear.

"Y-you t-t-towel needs, um, p-pulling up," Edward mutters. Shit. I look down and see that amidst all my shrieking I hadn't realised the fact my towel had slightly slipped down, revealing more of my chest that I'd like Edward to see. I quickly pull it up; making sure it's more secure this time.

"Edward, why are you on a ladder?" I question again, hoping there won't be any more distractions.

"I d-dropped my sponge…I'm a-a wi-window cleaner," Edward mumbles, pointing to the ground where I presume his sponge fell.

"Oh. I didn't even know there was a window cleaning business in Forks," I comment, for lack of anything else to say.

"There isn't…I s-set on-one up," I'm impressed, he's set up his own business! That's pretty impressive for someone who's only 17 years old.

"Ok, well, I'm going to get dressed now," I smile at him.

"I'll g-go cl-clean the windows down-downstairs, t-then," Edward says, walking down the creaky steps of his ladder.

"See you later at school, Edward!" I shout out the window down to him.

When I go back into my room to get change, I make sure to close the curtains when I get undressed.

Edward will never stop surprising me.

* * *

**A/N: What do you think of Edward as a window cleaner? :P**

**Review please! :)**

**Follow me on Twitter; katywonderland_**


	11. Chapter 11

**Bella:**

I smirk as I get in the car and sit next to Edward, who's currently blushing. He's too cute.

"I-I'm seeing a-a…a th-therapist tonight," Edward says as we're on the way to school.

"That's good, I'm sure it'll really help you," I tell him, smiling, and really wanting to kiss him.

"I'm n-nervous," Edward admits, not looking at me. I reach over and grab his hand in hopes of comforting him.

"It'll be fine, Edward, they're there to help you," I say to him.

"W-would y-you…would you c-come wi-with me?" Edward asks, sounding hopeful.

"Are you sure?" I confirm. Edward nods his head quickly. "Ok, then, if you think it'll help," I agree.

"T-thank you," Edward smiles, quickly bringing my hand to his mouth to kiss it before Alice or Cowboy see.

When we arrive at school, as per usual Cowboy and Alice walk off hand in hand, so I take the time to speak to Edward.

"Getting bolder," I comment.

"S-Says the g-girl who fl-flashes her b-breasts," Edward counters, slightly glancing down at said breasts before quickly looking back up.

"That wasn't intentional!" I hit him lightly in the chest, rolling my eyes at his typical boy behaviour.

"R-Really?" Edward jokes.

"Are you sure you didn't start up a window cleaning business just to get a look at my goods?" I joke back.

"Well…" Edward teases. I laugh at him before dragging him off to our first lesson.

We part ways as I head into English, and Edward heads to Physics, I think.

Anyway, I speak to Angela a bit in English, talking about anything interesting that has happened recently.

The day passes by, until lunch comes, where I sit with Alice, Cowboy and Edward. It's weird to think that up until a few weeks ago, it was just Alice and me, alone at lunch. Now, she has her Cowboy and I have my…wait, no, he's not mine. Is he? I mean, we've never specifically said we're dating, but we kiss regularly.

"Bella! You look deep in thought, never a good sign!" Alice teases.

"Go back to snogging Cowboy," I huff in response.

"Miss Bella, would that be permission to?" Cowboy drawls, smirking.

I roll my eyes at him, returning to my lunch. "Where's Edward?" I ask the loved up couple. He's yet to turn up to lunch, yet, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried.

"Coach wan'ed to be talkin' to him 'bout the team," Cowboy explained to me.

"Oh, ok," I reply, drinking some of my juice.

"Would you be missin' him, Miss Bella?" Cowboy asks, causing me to choke on my juice.

"Who, me? No, no. Just worried…you know? Like any friend would be. Yep, just a friend," Smooth, Bella, _real_ smooth. I'm not even sure my carton of apple juice believed me.

"Riiight," Cowboy drags out, winking at me as if we're in on some kind of secret.

When Edward comes and sits down, I try not to look too excited to see him. Though, when I see his large, child-like grin and blush tinted cheeks, I can't help the smile that spreads on my face. Which, I'm pretty sure, Cowboy notices.

"How did it go with the coach?" I ask, trying to distract Cowboy.

"H-He…He asked m-me to b-be captain!" Edward admits proudly.

"Aw, way to go, buddy!" Cowboy grins, patting his back. And winking at me once again, while Edward is looking. Oh god.

Edward scowls slightly at Cowboy, which, I'm pretty sure, is exactly what he wanted to happen. Cowboy grins widely at me, again gauging Edward's reaction. Which is even more scowling, and a slight shuffle of his chair so that he's sitting closer to me.

I roll my eyes, at both Edward and Cowboy's behaviour. If Alice weren't making gooey eyes at Cowboy, she'd be doing the same. Or maybe she'd be scooting her chair closer to Cowboy.

A few minutes before the bell's due to go, Edward asks if I want to walk to biology with him. I, of course, accept, so we bid a farewell to Alice and Cowboy, and walk off down the corridor.

"Is th-there s-something going o-on be-between you and J-Jasper?" Edward asks, like I predicted he would.

"Cowboy suspects there's something going on between me and you, so he was trying to make you jealous to confirm his suspicions," I explain to Edward, rolling my eyes at Cowboy's behaviour.

"Oh…s-sorry," Edward mutters.

"What's there to be sorry about?" I question, confused.

"T-That now p-people wi-will know we've…you k-know, um, kissed," Edward says. So, to reassure him that I don't give a damn who knows what about us, I grab his hand.

"So what? I'm not ashamed. You're a good kisser," I grin, though I _am_ a bit worried about what Alice will say. She'll even love it or hate it. Like marmite.

"R-Really?" Edward confirms.

"Yep, you're the best kiss I've had," Even better than Mike. Ok, that's not too hard to beat. But, Edward is a really good kisser. Sweet and gentle.

"I m-meant about n-not be-being ashamed?" Oh, right.

"Of course not. It's no one else's business, really," We arrive at biology, the first people there, so I go on my tiptoes to give him a proper kiss. "Well done for becoming captain," I add, giving him a quick peck just as the bell goes.

As we take our seats while other students file in, I notice a red tint to Edward's cheeks as he pushes his glasses up his nose.

The lesson begins, so I try to pay attention but really I'm planning on how to tell Alice I've been regularly kissing her brother, and would like to become more than just kissing buddies with him. I probably shouldn't phrase it like that. Maybe, 'hey, you know your new brother? Well, he's actually a really good kisser'. No, not like that, either.

When the bell rings, I jump from not expecting it, earning a weird look from Edward. We walk out together, and to the car where Alice and Cowboy are waiting.

"Hey, Alice, can I come over to yours?" I ask, trying to remain calm. Damn, why am I so nervous about this?

"Yeah, sure, you wanna hang out too, Jazz?" Alice asks, clearly not noticing my unease. Good.

"Yeah, 'course," Cowboy replies.

The rest of the journey is silent, until we reach the Cullen house where everyone gets out. Alice leads us all into the living room, where I try to speak to her. Privately.

"Alice, mind if I have a word with you? Preferably alone?" I ask, fiddling with the zip on my jacket.

"Yeah, we can go up to my room, if you want?" I nod, so Alice tells Edward and Cowboy where we're going, before leading me upstairs. "What's up? You seem nervous about something," Alice says, sitting down on her bed and patting the space next to her.

"Um, I have something I need to tell you, and, uh, I'm not sure how you'll react," I mutter.

"You know me! What is there for me to get angry about?" Alice says, waving it off like she'll be fine. My gut, on the other hand, is telling me otherwise. Stupid gut.

"So, Edward and I have become pretty close, right?" I pause as she nods her head. "Ikissedhimtheotherday!" I blurt out all in one breath.

"What?" Alice asks, though by the way her eyebrows are furrowing I think she heard part of it.

I take a deep breath, before I reply again, "Edward and I kissed the other day." Silence follows, making me even more nervous.

"I'm sorry; I don't think I heard you correctly. Did you just say you kissed my brother?" Alice demands.

"Um, yes," I mumble, not looking at her.

"My brother who has a troubled past, and won't open up to anyone, so you risk everything by kissing him?" Alice says, making me the angry one now.

"Risk it? It seems to be helping!" I protest.

"Taking out his frustrations by kissing you?" Alice asks in disbelief.

"No, it helps his stutter! It's not as bad when he's around me!" I tell her, almost shouting from annoyance.

"Oh, well done then, Bella. You're practically a therapist. What happens when you run off to someone else, huh? How's he going to feel then?" Alice hisses at me.

"Why would I run off from him? When have I _ever_ done that before?" I scowl at her.

"Mike Newton. Yeah, he was devastated when you two broke up," Alice says, smiling in triumph.

"What? He was fucking kissing all the other cheerleaders while we were going out! He wasn't devastated! Do you see me being judgemental about you and Cowboy? No, I'm being supportive, like a good friend would do," I say to her.

"I'm not the one screwing around with the others brother!" Alice shouts at me.

"Screwing around? Are you serious right now?" I shout back.

"Woah, what's goin' on up here, ladies?" Cowboy asks, entering the room.

"Bella's is messing Edward around!" Alice shouts to Cowboy.

"M-Messing me a-around?" Edward stutters, also entering the room.

"Yes, I'd be careful of her, Edward. She's known to break hearts," Alice says, glaring at me but acting calm to Edward. Two faced…

"W-What?" Edward mutters, looking devastated.

"No! I'm not a 'heartbreaker'! Mike was cheating on me!" I try to explain, though it looks like no one's willing to hear me out. "I'll just leave, then," I murmur, fighting back the tears as I run from their house.

I can't believe Edward so easily believed Alice. I mean, I thought she might act badly, but never did I think anything like that would happen.

* * *

**A/N: What do you think of Alice's reaction? :O**

**Since it's half term, I plan to pre-write a ton of chapters which will hopefully mean faster updates! Wooo! ;D**

**Review please! :)**

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	12. Chapter 12

**Bella:**

I soon slow to a walk, sobbing as I walk the long distance from the Cullen's house back to mine.

I can't believe Edward believed Alice so quickly! I can't think of anything I've done to make him distrust me that much. And Alice… Why would she say something like that? She knew what I went through with Mike, she told me I should break up with him.

I kick a stone along the pathway as these thoughts run through my mind. Tears streaming down my face, I probably look a mess right now. Not that I care. Though, if a car drives past, they may think I'm a tad crazy.

I jump when a horn blazes, quickly looking around to see the source. My nerves turn into relief when I see the familiar red Volkswagen rabbit.

"Bella! What the hell has happened? Are you hurt?" Jacob's worried voice fills the once silent road as he rushes over to hug me.

"I'm fine, I'm fine…I…it's a long story," I mumble against his muscular chest.

"Come on inside, I'll drive you home. Why are you walking, anyway?" Jacob asks, guiding me to the passenger seat of his car. When we get in he turns up the heat, calming the shivers I hadn't noticed I had.

"I've been meaning to call you, my car broke again," I say, resuming our conversation.

"How've you been getting to and from school then?" Jacob asks, speeding up to get us home.

"Alice has been giving me lifts," I mutter, moving my hands closer to the heat.

"That still doesn't explain why you were walking just then," Jacob insists, still trying to get answers.

I sigh, before reminding him it's a long story and promising to tell him when we get home. As Jacob pulls into the driveway, he gives me his jumper since I'm still shivering. I gladly take it, and then lead Jacob inside, since mum and dad must still be at work.

"Start with your story then," Jacob says, getting settled on the sofa.

I explain to him all about Alice ringing me excitedly telling me she has a new brother, and tell him all Edward.

"So Carlisle cheated on Esme?" Jacob asks, just as shocked as we all were when we found out. I nod in conformation, telling him about Emmett's argument with Carlisle and my new found friendship with Edward. Then, I take a deep breath before telling him about mine and Edward's first kiss.

"Was he a good kisser?" Jacob gasps, leaning forward for all the juicy details.

"Yes, yes he was," I smile at the memory, but it's soon replaced with the memory of Edward looking devastated, bringing me a new round of tears.

"Hey, it's alright, babygirl," Jacob comforts me, pulling me into his lap to hug me.

I go on to tell him about the following secret kisses Edward and I share, laughing at the memory of seeing Edward outside my window. Jacob laughs along with me, which does help to lift my spirits.

"So, what happened to you and Alice, then?" Jacob enquires. Reluctantly, I explain to him how Cowboy – Jacob laughs hysterically at his nickname – began sensing there was something between Edward and I.

When I finally tell Jacob about what Alice said, I find myself laughing much like he was previous.

"That pixie bitch! I'm gonna show her who's boss around here!" He says, flexing his muscles.

"Jake, that's not needed," I smile, patting his bicep.

"No one messes with my babygirl!" Jacob states, wrapping his arm around me as I find myself crying once again.

"You're babygirl?" A furious voice asks from the doorway.

"Edward! How the hell did you get in here?" I may not have locked the front door, but most people prefer to knock instead of walking in.

"I g-guess Al-Alice was r-right, then?" Edward states, seemingly losing some of his previous anger.

"Oh, so you're Edward new-Cullen, I'm Jacob," Jacob grins, standing up and extending his hand to Edward. Edward looks down at the offered hand, before ignoring it.

"What do you mean Alice was right? No she wasn't!" I implore to Edward, begging him to believe me.

"H-He j-just called y-y-you his b-babygirl!" Edward shouts, pointing at Jacob.

"Dude, you don't have to worry about me coming on to your girl," Jacob grins, staying somehow calm.

"Y-Yeah, 'cause s-she's _not_ m-my girl!" Edward says to Jacob.

"I'm not?" I whimper, feeling a new round of tears fall down my face. I don't even make an attempt to brush them away.

"I'm s-sure y-your _boyfriend_ c-can help w-with that!" Edward hisses at us both.

"Boyfriend?" I question, not having any idea who he's on about. He does realise Mike and I split up, right?

"Nu uh, mister, you've got the wrong idea," Jacob says, though I'm still confused.

"C-Care to ex-explain, then?" Edward huffs, looking at Jacob.

"I play for the other team! I don't like boobs! I don't see Bella in any other way than a sister. I'm gay!" Jacob shouts out, pointing to himself. Oh. Oh, I get it. Edward thought I was _with_ Jacob. Ohhh…

"Wait, so, firstly, you just barge into my home without knocking! Then, you make accusations before even hearing me out, and get all pissed! Look, if you'd just listened to me after what Alice said, none of this would have happened. You know, Edward, I really liked you. I thought what we had was special, but straight away you didn't trust me. Thanks for that," I say, before going into the kitchen to hide some of my tears from him.

I don't hear anything for a few minutes, and only afterwards there's the sound of the front door closing. Though I'm not sure who left.

"He's hot, babygirl," Jacob says as he joins me in the kitchen.

"He's all yours," I mutter, turning around to give Jacob a hug.

"I don't think he plays for the same team as me," Jacob giggles – yes, giggles – wrapping his arms around me.

"Did he say anything before he left?" I ask hopefully, though I'm not sure what I'm hoping for.

"No, babygirl, he just glared at me a bit before leaving," Jacob says.

Jacob drives my truck back to his house to fix it, leaving his Volkswagen here for me to drive to school tomorrow. When mum and dad get home from work, I tell them Jacob visited, though I don't tell them about falling out with Alice.

Considering all that's being going on recently, what with Esme and Carlisle, mine and Alice's fight is beginning to seem less significant. Of course I'm upset about it – never before have we fallen out this badly. There have been smaller fights over the years, but they've never made me as upset as this one has.

I just genuinely didn't expect Alice to react so badly. I thought she might be a bit upset at first, but then she'd get over it and be happy for me. Not accuse me of messing her brother around. She's known me long enough to know I'd never do that, not to anyone, especially not to her brother.

The next morning, when I first wake up I forget about everything that's happened. It hits me all of a sudden, making me want to cry again. No, I've cried enough.

I put on some dark jeans and a big, green jumper. I don't feel the need to dress up nicely today. I eat a small breakfast, before getting in Jacob's Volkswagen and driving to school. As soon as I arrive I have a quick look around the car park, not seeing Alice, Cowboy or Edward yet, so I quickly walk to English to make sure I avoid them all.

Somehow, I manage to avoid all three of them up until lunch. I'm impressed I managed to avoid them for so long.

Well, here goes nothing…

* * *

**A/N: What did you think of the chapter? And Jacob? I'm not too sure about this one...I've gone back and made loads of changes! :O**

**Review please! :)**

**Follow me on Twitter; katywonderland_**


	13. Chapter 13

**Bella:**

Walking into the cafeteria, I nervously look around, hoping I don't spot any of them. Well, Cowboy might be alright. If I _had_ to see anyone, I'd choose Cowboy. Damn, why can't Jacob go to Forks High instead of the school at the reservation?

So far, so good. There appears to be no sight of any of them. Maybe they're all ill? Highly unlikely, but amazing if it happened.

Now I'm wishing for them to be ill. I'm just as bad as Alice. Not quite as bad, but getting there. And I'm talking myself.

I'm mean _and_ crazy.

I go over and buy my lunch, before walking over and sitting alone. Angela offered for me to sit with her this lunch time, but I politely declined. I'd rather have the peace and quiet.

The irritating and painful screeching of a chair being pulled across the floor draws my attention away from the food and to whoever this person is. I'm happily surprised when I see it's Cowboy.

"Howdy, partner," I greet him.

"Howdy, Miss Bella," Cowboy replies, tipping his head in the typical Texas greeting.

"Without sounding rude, why are you sitting here?" I have a feeling Alice has asked him to do this, but I want to be certain before I start making accusations. Unlike some people…

"I jus' wanted to be hearin' your tale, Miss Bella," I presume he means he wants to hear my side of the story.

"None of what Alice said was true. Does that help?" I huff, still annoyed at Alice's reaction.

"What was this 'bout a Mike?" Cowboy asks, clearly not satisfied with my answer.

"He was my old boyfriend. We dated for a few months, never going further than kissing, and never getting feelings as deep as love. I ended things with him when I caught him kissing one of the cheerleaders, and he later admitted to kissing several others. Where Alice got this idea of me breaking his heart from, I have no idea," I explain to him.

"Maybe Miss Alice was jus' bein' protective over her little brother," Cowboy reasons.

"Yes, but now everything between Edward and I has ended!" I protest, feeling my eyes well with tears at the thought of Edward. Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry.

"Why have they been finished, Miss Bella?" Cowboy asks, looking puzzled. I explain to him all about yesterday, how Jacob found me on my way home, and that Edward jumped to conclusions before leaving. "I'm gonna have to be meetin' this Jacob! He sounds hilarious!" That's Cowboy's response.

"Men," I roll my eyes at him.

"Sorry, darlin', but I think you should talk to Miss Alice," Cowboy says seriously.

"What if I don't want to?" I whine.

"I think it'd help, Miss Bella. You'll have-tuh be speakin' to Edward next, though," Cowboy reminds me, just as the bell goes. Great. Just…dandy.

Cowboy and I walk off in different directions, so I thank him for his advice, promise to introduce him to Jacob, and then try and brace myself for Biology. I feel bad, but I sincerely hope Edward is ill. Or that someone else is ill, and Edward has decided to move seats. Or I could move seats. Or…just anything.

Sadly, when I enter the room I see, firstly, Edward is present, secondly, no one else is ill, and thirdly, we're doing a practical today. Dandy.

Taking my seat, I purposely don't look at Edward, instead busying myself with rummaging through my bag.

"H-Have you lo-lost anything?" Edward whispers, though I still don't look at him. My eyes do well with tears once again, however. Would it be unreasonable to answer my marble? Or my best friend? My possible boyfriend?

"Just my pen. I've found it now," I lie, holding up the pen I've been holding the whole time.

I put my bag on the floor as the teacher talks to us for a bit, before telling us to get on with our practical. I actually know what we're doing, because listening to the lecture was better than looking at Edward. Well, it wasn't, because Edward's still hot. Damn him.

"D-Did Jasper s-speak t-to you?" Edward mumbles quietly. Ah, so it was _him_ that approached Jasper.

"Was I supposed to?" I question, the upset turning to anger.

"N-No! M-Maybe?" Edward squeaks, looking down at his hands.

"Did Alice suggest this to you?" I demand. I feel partly bad for taking my anger out on him, but hasn't he learnt to not trust what Alice says?

"M-Maybe…" he once again squeaks. I sigh loudly, knowing full well that he can hear. Instead of replying, I focus on doing the experiment.

In my head, I'm planning ways in which to murder Alice. The way I'm acting, I'm hopefully portraying calmness. Hopefully.

"I'm s-sorry," Edward mumbles after a few minutes of silence between us.

"Just forget about it," I sigh, focusing on the experiment.

"N-No," Edward states.

"No?" I question.

"C-Come o-over tonight?" Edward asks, not as firm as before.

"Fine, but I'm driving myself," I tell him. Not a chance am I walking home from their house again.

At the end of the day, I get in my car and follow the car Alice, Edward and Cowboy are sharing. Once we get to their house, I consider turning around and speeding away in the Volkswagen, but I hold my nerve and get out of the car.

I expect a glare from Alice, but all I get is an apologetic look before I look away. We all head inside and sit in the living room. The awkward tension is too much for me to bear, and once again I consider running away.

"Anyone wanna drink?" Cowboy drawls into the silence.

"Water, please," I ask, and both Edward and Alice agree with that. When Cowboy leaves, the tension, if anything, doubles.

"B-Bella, I'm re-really sorry," Edward mutters.

"What for?" I ask.

"Ev-Everything," Edward says sadly. Still, Alice says nothing.

"You were just so quick to believe that…that I'd mess you around. And then everything with Jacob," I say to him.

"I kn-know. I t-talked with m-my therapist, w-who, um, th-thinks I have tr-tr-trust issues," Edward tells me.

"I…maybe it's best if we don't start any sort of relationship right now," I tell him. Alice, when she wasn't falsely accusing me of things, did make a slightly valid point in that my relations with Edward might not be helping.

"No!" I'd expect that to be Edward shouting, but instead it's Alice. I raise my eyebrow at her. "I was a bitch the other day, alright! What I said was uncalled for!" She quickly shouts just as Cowboy enters the room holding a tray with four cups of water.

"Most of the stuff you said was uncalled for, but the one, tiny part that I agree with is that maybe I'm making things worse for Edward," I tell her.

"Wh-What about w-what _I_ t-think?" Edward asks.

"I think you should focus on therapy for a bit. I'm not saying there won't be anything between us _ever_, but right now I think therapy needs to be your priority, not me." A part of me wants Edward to disagree with my statement, because I don't know how long I'll last away from him. But then, I know it's better for him to focus on therapy.

"Ok…" Edward sighs sadly in defeat. I just feel worse, now.

"Bella, can I have a word with you?" Alice asks, getting up so I presume she means in private.

"Sure, why not?" I shrug my shoulders, following her up to her room. This time, however, she's the one who's nervous, tugging at the end of her jumper. Wait, jumper? Alice _never_ wears jumpers. Even when it's below freezing, she'll just wear a cardigan.

We reach her room, and she gestures for me to sit next to her on her bed.

"What happened…I'm so sorry," Alice sobs, immediately wrapping her arms around me. I wrap my arms back around her, also breaking down in tears. "I'm just so hormonal right now, and with everything that's been happening…and, and, I just took it out on you!" She continues to sob as do I.

"You were right though. About Edward and I…cooling things off," I mumble weakly. I'm crying because of that, too.

"I never meant to break you guys up!" Alice sobs, sniffling and shuffling away from me a bit.

"We were never really properly together," I tell her.

"There's something else I have to tell you," Alice says, looking more nervous than ever.

"What is it? You can tell me anything," I reassure her, wiping away some of my tears with my jumper.

"I think I'm pregnant."

* * *

**A/N: What do you think of Alice's revelation!? :O**

**Review please! :)**

**Follow me on Twitter; katywonderland_**


	14. Chapter 14

**Bella:**

"_I think I'm pregnant."_ Um, what? I mean…what? She's…what?

"Is Cowboy…?" I trail off, then I feel bad for asking.

"Yeah," Alice nods.

"Does he…?" Again, I trail off.

"I haven't told him, no," Alice answers, clearly knowing what I mean even if I only half asked the question.

"I didn't realise you guys were that…close," I finish, for lack of better word.

"Uh, yeah," Alice blushes. Yeah, she actually blushes. I'd be more shocked if she hadn't just told me she was pregnant.

"Have you done a test?" I ask.

"Twelve, all positive," Alice answers. She works in the local pharmacy, so I'm not surprised that she managed to get hold of twelve pregnancy tests.

"How long have you known?" I ask her.

"A few days. Look, I'm really sorry for everything I've said to you, I was such a bitch, I just…I guess I didn't want you to end up in my position," Alice explains.

"Edward and I have only kissed occasionally, I mean I haven't known him that long," I tell her, "Wait, shit! No, I mean, I haven't known him _romantically_ that long…" I quickly add so that I don't offend her.

"I know Jasper and I haven't been together that long but, I really feel like I've found my soulmate," Alice tells me. For as long as I've known Alice, she's believed in soulmates, so when she says this I'm pretty shocked.

"Really?" I question.

"Yeah, I love him so much already. One thing just led to another, and now…I'm knocked up!" Alice says.

"I think you need to tell him. Cowboy, I mean," I tell her, though if I were in her situation I have no idea what I'd do. "Are you planning on keeping it?"

"Of course! No way am I having an abortion!" Alice quickly tells me.

"Ok, you kinda need to tell Cowboy, then," I tell her, though she just chuckles.

"Will you ever call him Jasper?" Alice asks.

"Nope. Now, I think you should tell him," I tell her seriously.

"Ok, I will. Tonight," Alice nods firmly in her decision. "Are we ok now? I'm really sorry, and I honestly don't think you and Edward should break up," Alice adds.

"Good. Yeah, just promise you'll take your hormones out on Cowboy, next time. Edward and I…in the future we may get together, but right now he's got so much going on in his life that a girlfriend would just stress him out more," I tell her, getting up to leave.

"Can I call you after I've spoken to him?" She asks nervously.

"Of course," I tell her as we walk down the stairs.

Some people might not agree with me forgiving Alice so quickly, but right now with her parent's and pregnancy, she's got enough worries without a friend who's ignoring her.

I say a quick goodbye to Cowboy and Edward, but just before I'm about to leave Edward corners me in the hallway.

"I kn-know y-you said a-a-about waiting, b-but can I j-just k-k…uh, kiss you o-once more?" Edward asks, breaking my heart just a little bit.

"Of course," I tell him, leaning forward and meeting his lips with my own. We kiss longer than we've kissed before, mostly because I don't let him go. I have to keep reminding myself that it's better that Edward and I wait.

"B-Bye, Bella," Edward mumbles, not looking at me in an attempt to hide his tears.

"I'll wait, Edward. As soon as you're ready, I'll be there," I promise him, softly kissing his cheek and leaving before I change my mind.

On the drive back home I allow the tears to fall. I know it's the right decision to wait, but it just hurts so damn much. Edward's so sweet, and handsome, and treats me so well. I know I'll wait for him, though there's a part of me that worries he'll find someone better.

I wait in the driveway for a bit, waiting for my tears to clear, before I walk inside the house. My parents are sat in the living room, so I mumble a quick hello and then run up to my room. I don't need to tell them where I've been, they'll just assume I've been at the Cullen's house.

Lying on my bed reading my book, I'm startled when my phone begins to ring. I quickly check the number and sees it's Alice, so I immediately answer.

"I think I love him even more!" Alice screeches down the phone.

"Um, who?" I chuckle. Obviously her hormones have gone…for now.

"Jasper, Cowboy, whatever you want to call him!" She squeals.

"I'm guessing he took the news well, then?" I ask.

"Yeah! He said that he knows we're both young, but we both love each other so we'll make it work. And he said that if my parents aren't happy and kick me out, I can always move in with him!" She says excitedly and all in one breathe.

"That's great! I'm sure Esme and Carlisle will be ok with the news, though," They've always been supportive of their children, and while they won't be happy with Alice being pregnant so young, I can't see them kicking out their own child. "Have you told Emmett yet?" I hear a gulp from the other end of the line.

"Um…no…" Alice mutters, clearly forgetting about her large, over-protective, older brother. "He's going to kill Jasper, isn't he?" Alice mumbles.

"My advice would be to tell him in front of your parents. That way there are more witnesses if he does," I tell her.

"That's probably a good idea," Alice squeaks out.

"Have you told, uh, Edward?" I ask, feeling my heart tug just at the thought of him.

"Not yet. I suppose I better go and tell him, hadn't I?" Alice asks.

"Probably," I tell her.

"Ok, bye then!" Alice says, sounding a little happier.

"Bye oil-rig pixie!" I tease her, ending the call.

Now I'm thinking of Edward again. Maybe this is going to be harder than I originally thought. I miss him so much already, and it's only been a couple of hours. I wonder if he's missing me as much as I'm missing him? Probably not.

Should I show him how much I miss him? No. That'll make things worse. No, instead, I'll just act normal. I can act normal around him. I can act like the mention of his name doesn't bring tears to my eyes. Yep. Easy.

**********LLB**********

I drive myself to school the next morning, as I'm not sure I could bear sitting next to Edward and not attacking him. Seems like I'll be driving myself to school a lot from now on. As I pull into the car park, I spot Alice, Cowboy and Edward standing by Alice's car. I walk over to them, waving a quick hello.

"How are you handling the news, Cowboy?" I grin to him.

"I'm doin' alright, Miss Bella," Cowboy says, nodding as he does.

I give Edward a little smile, and then ask him the same question.

"A-Alright, I gu-guess. I w-wish J-Jasper would ha-have, um, waited," Edward says, looking at the ground and not me. I feel so horrible right now.

"But you get to be an uncle!" Alice squeals in delight, while Edward shrugs a little.

"Have you planned when you're going to tell your parents and Emmett?" I ask Alice and Cowboy.

"Probably when mum and dad get back, since Emmett and Queen Bee will come and visit them," Alice nods.

"Oh! I wonder how Queeny will take the news!" I say, feeling a little sorry for Alice having to tell Queeny. She'll most probably make some snide comments.

"Oh _god_," Alice whines, burying her head in Cowboy's chest.

"Who's Queeny?" Cowboy asks.

"Emmett's girlfriend. She had two nicknames in high school, Queen Bee and Bitch. So, Alice and I merged them to form Queen Bee for Bitch. Her actual name is Rosalie," I explain to him.

"Wait! Jazz, you've never met my parents before, have you?" Alice asks, and Cowboy shakes his head. "So the first time you meet my parents will be telling them you got me pregnant?" Cowboy visibly pales. It's actually a little comical, and I'm glad I'm not him right now.

"I'd be more worried about Emmett," I comment.

"H-He's scary," Edward agrees. I look at him, to see him quickly look away from me.

"I should probably go to my first lesson." Before I start bawling like a baby.

"Ok, bye, see you at lunch!" Alice calls out, waving as I make my quick escape.

Well, this is definitely harder than I thought it would be. Not that I didn't think it would be hard, but this is just worse.

* * *

**A/N: What do you think of the chapter? :D**

**Anyone else seen Breaking Dawn Part 2? I have, twice, and I loved it :D**

**Review please! :)**

**Follow me on Twitter; katywonderland_**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Most reviewers tend to be disagreeing with Bella's decision to break things off with Edward, to help him. One reviewer said that it was too mature, but I think it's more immature, as she isn't certain in her decision. Um, hopefully this chapter will help explain things a bit more? :D**

* * *

**Bella:**

We're sat – well, everyone apart from Alice, who's pacing – and waiting for Esme, Carlisle, Emmett and Queen Bee to come home.

"Are you sure you want me here?" I ask once again, maybe trying to escape before the screaming match begins. I really don't want to witness Cowboy being murdered.

"Yes. You're not leaving now," Alice glares at me, quickly resuming her pacing.

The way her eyes widen when there's a knock at the door is almost comical, though I do feel sorry for her. I only hope that Esme and Carlisle's trip went well, so at least they'll be happy before they hear the news.

Edward gets up to answer the door, since Alice looks close to tears. Cowboy grabs her hand and sits her next to him, comforting her with soft words of encouragement and love. It is clear to see the love they feel for each other.

"We're back!" Esme calls out, walking into the living room while I presume Carlisle deals with their luggage.

"How was your trip?" I ask. It appears Cowboy has joined Alice in losing the ability to speak.

"Oh, it was wonderful! We visited all the sights and took loads of pictures! I'll have to show you them later, dear," Esme gushes, sitting down on the sofa next to Edward. Carlisle enters the room, and we all hold our breath in case of awkward tension. Carlisle, however, takes a seat next to his wife, who looks at him with adoration. I guess it was a _really_ good trip, then.

"Have you all been behaving well without us?" Carlisle asks. I have to cough to stifle a giggle. Maybe Alice should have let me go…

"Y-Yep," Edward nods nervously.

"Edward, your father and I have been thinking about some things," Esme begins gently.

"If y-you wa-want me t-to, um, l-leave, I und-understand," Edward mumbles quietly.

"No! Not at all, dear! I was wondering how you'd feel if I adopted you?" Esme asks tentatively.

"R-Really?" Edward asks, a glint in his eyes.

"Of course. You seem to have fit in so well with the family," Esme grins as Edward's eyes fill with tears. I want to cry along with him.

A few minutes later, there's a knock at the door. Emmett and Queeny squeeze into the living room along with everyone else, and for a few minutes there's an awkward silence. Emmett still doesn't seem too happy with Carlisle, Edward and I are waiting for Alice and Cowboy to tell Esme and Carlisle about the pregnancy, and Queen Bitch just seems to be glaring at everyone. Great.

"Um, mum, dad, this is Jasper," Alice begins nervously.

"Hello, Jasper, I presume you're the man my daughter has been chatting on about non-stop?" Esme chuckles.

"Yes, mam, that would be me," Cowboy drawls.

"Alice did mention that you'd just moved here from Texas," Carlisle nods, seemingly approving of Cowboy. For now.

"Ah, so you're the cowboy Bella was on about? You better treat my little sister right," Emmett warns him.

"About that…we've got something we need to tell you…" Alice mumbles, grasping Cowboy's hand tightly. Edward and I quickly exchange looks, carefully watching the reactions of everyone.

"Yes?" Esme asks, though by the look on her face she already has some idea of what this news is.

"I'm pregnant." Alice's statement is met with silence. I'm guessing about ten seconds until Emmett explodes.

"WHAT?" Emmett shouts.

"It wasn't planned or anything! It just sorta…happened," Alice says, trying to defend herself and Cowboy.

"I should hope to god it wasn't planned! You're only 17!" Emmett shouts. I'm quite scared right now.

"Don't you think it's a bit…soon?" Esme asks, much quieter than Emmett.

"I just said it wasn't planned!" Alice shouts.

"I know it is a bit soon, but I love Miss Alice, I know we're gonna make this work," Cowboy reasons, lovingly resting his hand on her stomach.

"I take it you're keeping the baby, then?" Carlisle asks.

"Yes, definitely," Alice says quickly, placing her hand over Cowboy's.

"Well, with everything that's happened recently, I guess I can't be hypocritical," Carlisle sighs.

"But I sure as hell can! Jasper, cowboy, whatever the hell your name is, I think we should have a word," Emmett demands.

"It's Jasper, sir," Cowboy says.

"Emmett, don't scare the boy," Queeny huffs. Wow. She _actually_ kinda defended someone, other than herself.

"Jasper, will you be here for Alice throughout the pregnancy?" Esme asks, quietly but firmly.

"Of course, mam," Cowboy nods.

"And will you be supportive in both care and bills?" Esme confirms.

"Certainly," Cowboy says quickly.

"Then, though it may not be under the best of circumstances, as long as you're there for her, I'm happy," Esme smiles warmly at Cowboy.

"That's all you're going to say to them? She's 17! I don't even know how old he is!" Emmett huffs.

"I'm 17…" Cowboy mumbles.

"I know it's not the best of situations, but it's happened, and there's no changing it now. Aren't you at all happy about being an uncle?" Alice asks. I see a little smile forming on Emmett's face.

"Maybe…that's not the point! You're my baby sister!" Emmett whines.

"I hardly planned a pregnancy at 17!" Alice giggles. Emmett doesn't look as angry any more.

"You better not be pregnant, Bella," Emmett warns, pointing his finger at me.

"No chance of that happening," I say, and I hear Queeny scoffing. Bitch.

"Good," Emmett says, looking a little more relieved.

The conversation goes back to Esme and Carlisle's holiday, and they tell us that they are going to stay together and make things work. Well, that was fairly obvious from the fact that Esme wants to adopt Edward.

Edward tells Esme and Carlisle about his therapy, quickly glancing at me when he does. I look down, choosing to focus on pulling the thread on my jacket rather than look at him. It's a very interesting thread.

"Sounds like you've had a busy week," Esme chuckles, eyes quickly passing over Alice and Cowboy.

"I guess you could say that," I nod, chuckling along with her. "Well, I better be heading off home, mum and dad will be wondering where I am."

"Oh, invite them 'round for tea tomorrow, Bella?" Esme asks.

"Of course. I'm sure dad will love to come, purely for your cooking," I smirk, thinking of my dad's love for Esme's cooking.

"Bye, Bella, it's been nice seeing you." Everyone waves goodbye as I leave their house.

Well, I think everyone took the news better than expected. At least Emmett didn't murder anyone, and Queeny didn't actually make any snide comments. What a shock turn of events, really.

"Mum, dad, Esme invited us round for tea tomorrow," I tell them as I join them in the living room when I get home.

"Oh, so Esme and Carlisle are back from their trip then?" Dad asks, so I nod in response.

"Are they still together?" Mum asks gently.

"Yep. Esme wants to adopt Edward," I tell her, smiling as I say it.

"It seems you and Edward have become quite good friends recently." I don't know whether to blush or cry at mum's statement.

"Uh, yeah. He's nice. Kind to me," I nod, focusing my attention on the TV. A baseball match is on, though, so I'm not particularly interested. I see mum looking at me for a few minutes, before sighing and turning her attention to the TV as well.

When I excuse myself to get a drink, mum also does, following me into the kitchen.

"I know something's up," Mum comments.

"I'm fine," I mumble, pouring some juice into a glass.

"Clearly you're not. Do I need to beat up Edward?" Mum offers, chuckling as she does.

"No! It's not him! It's just…ugh, it's complicated," I weakly explain.

"Come on, explain missy," Mum prompts.

"Fine," I huff. "Edward and I were…I don't know, sorta dating. Then, Alice said something, and it made me see that maybe…maybe I should wait until Edward had been to more therapy sessions before we start anything serious."

"Sweetie, that was a really big decision for you to make," Mum says, giving me a big hug. I begin crying in her arms, feeling like a little girl once more.

"Alice is pregnant," I blurt out.

"Really?" Mum asks, leaning back to see if I'm lying.

"Yep, she told Esme, Carlisle and Emmett tonight," I tell her, wiping away my tears.

"Who's the father?" Mum asks me.

"This boy who just moved here, called Jasper. But I call him Cowboy," I smile to her.

"Is he aware of this? And any reasoning behind the nickname?" Mum asks, laughing lightly.

"He's from Texas, and he has a really strong accent. He calls me Miss Bella. And he does know about the nickname, he seems to quite like it," I say.

"I can't believe she's pregnant…how did her family take it?" Mum asks.

I explain the whole evening to her, what everyone said. I even tell her about Emmett making sure I wasn't pregnant, and Queeny scoffing.

"What are you two doing out here? Half an hour ago you came out for a drink," Dad questions as he walks into the kitchen.

"Just having mother and daughter bonding time," Mum says, smiling at my dad.

We all go back into the living room, with dad giving us sideways looks.

* * *

**A/N: What did you think of the Cullen's reaction to Alice's pregnancy? :D**

**Review please! :)**

**Follow me on Twitter; katywonderland_**

**Oh, and if anyone has Instagram, follow me at; katy_cullen**


	16. Chapter 16

**Bella:**

It's been three weeks. Three very, _very_, long weeks, since I broke off things between Edward and I. It's not all bad, though. Edward's stutter is improving, and we've become good friends. Alice and Cowboy are still going strong, and while his parents weren't happy with the unexpected pregnancy, they've spoken to Carlisle and Esme regularly about it.

Right now, I'm sat at lunch, where Cowboy is carefully watching Alice to make sure she's ok. I think it's sweet how protective he's being, she says it can get annoying. Hormones.

"Jazz, I'm _fine_," Alice insists, rolling her eyes at him. Cowboy just huffs, going back to his food.

"At least Emmett i-isn't here," Edward jokes. After Emmett's initial annoyance and hatred towards Cowboy for the pregnancy, he's been visiting almost every weekend, almost being as protective as Cowboy is. It's quite funny and a little cute.

"Apparently Queeny's now getting all maternal after seeing Em be protective," Alice sniggers.

"I can't picture her being a mother," I chuckle along with Alice.

Soon the bell goes, so I walk with Edward to biology. Thankfully, things aren't awkward between us anymore. Well, things could be better, but Edward seems to have got over me breaking things off. I haven't got over it; I'm just getting better at hiding it.

As we sit in biology, I doddle on my notebook since it's a fairly boring lesson.

"Bella? Can you tell us the answer?" Oh man. I should probably be listening to the teacher right now. I have no idea what he's even on about.

"_DNA_," Edward whispers to me.

"DNA?" I answer. The look on Mr Banner's face is priceless. He mumbles something before returning to his lecture. "Thanks," I whisper to Edward.

I'm not called on for the rest of the lesson, another thing I need to thank Edward for. After biology I walk with Edward out to the car park, since my truck has been parked next to Alice's. Jacob managed to fix my car, at least for now.

"Hey Edward!" Jessica smiles, walking up to Edward in the hallway.

"Um, hey?" he mumbles, looking a little overwhelmed.

"Are you free tonight? I was thinking maybe we could go out and watch a film or something?" Jessica suggests, lightly touching Edward's arm.

"Yeah, o-ok then," Edward smiles. They quickly exchange numbers and arrange a time to meet before we start walking again.

Wait, this isn't a…date, is it? I hope not. Though, the way Jessica was touching his arm _was_ quite suggestive. I never knew she liked him like that. I never knew Edward liked her. I thought it was good that I decided to wait before Edward had a girlfriend, and now he's going on a date with Jessica?

"Bella, wanna come round to mine tonight? I'm gonna go baby shopping!" Alice squeals. I hadn't even realised we'd reached the car park.

"Oh…Isn't it a bit soon?" I mumble.

"I'm only going to have a look…Jazz said he was busy tonight though," Alice pouts. Yeah, _busy_.

"Alright then," I nod, getting in to my car. I glance at Edward, who looks to be in deep conversation with Cowboy. I should have known a girl would have asked him out, he's attractive, sweet and kind. I just never thought he'd say yes.

I follow Alice's car back to her house, though we make a detour to drop off Cowboy. When we arrive at the Cullen house, Edward heads straight to his room while Esme questions Alice on how she's coping.

"I'm fine, mum, honestly. Bella and I are going baby shopping tonight," Alice tells Esme.

"Well, have fun you too," Esme grins. "Oh, the papers for adoption came today, so I'm going to fill them in when your father gets home," Esme adds excitedly.

"Awww, that's awesome!" Alice kisses her mother's cheek before dragging me out to her car. "What's up?" Alice asks as soon as the doors are shut.

"What? I'm fine," I nod, as if that emphasizes my feelings.

"Is it Edward?" Alice huffs, glancing at me as we begin the journey to Port Angeles.

"No, there's nothing wrong. Honestly." I'm happy for Edward. I'm glad that he's progressed so that he's ready to date. Does a part of me wish it were me he was going to go out with? Maybe. But that doesn't mean I'm jealous.

"I thought you were over him," Alice pushes.

"I was never over him!" I half shout, then I feel bad for taking out on Alice. "I'm sorry, I'm honestly fine."

"The first week after you ended things you seemed sad, but then you seemed happier when you and Edward became friends again," Alice tells me.

"I never got over it. I just got better at hiding it," I admit to her.

"Then why don't you tell him?" Alice asks gently.

"No, I can't. I said to him that I'd wait for him, whenever he's ready. Clearly I'm not the one he wants," I mutter bitterly.

"You're jealous of Jessica?" Alice confirms.

"What? No. I'm happy for them. They'll be a good couple. I understand why Edward said yes. Some people find fake tan and make up attractive, I guess," I tell Alice, who just starts laughing.

"Sorry. You're so jealous, though," Alice giggles.

"Oh, whatever. Just because I didn't sleep with Edward as soon as I met him," I tease Alice.

"But Jazz was my soulmate!" Alice protests, rolling her eyes at me.

"What if Edward's my soulmate? Then am I allowed to sleep with him?" I chuckle.

"Bella, you need to tell him how you feel," Alice says.

"No. I'm fine. It's just a crush. It's clear he doesn't feel the same way, anyway." Alice huffs a bit, but doesn't say anymore on the matter.

In Port Angeles, I'm dragged around so many baby shops. I didn't realise they had so many. Alice cries several times over baby clothes, or tiny shoes, or just anything. Her hormones have been pretty badly affected by the pregnancy.

Just as we're walking through Port Angeles, we walk past the cinema where I see Edward and Jessica.

"Don't look over at the cinema," Alice warns me.

"Too late," I mumble.

Both of them are laughing at something Jessica said, and suddenly she's leaning up and kissing him. What? No…I…

"Come on, Bella," Alice tugs on my arm, pulling me into the car. She hands me a tissue, so I wipe off the tears I hadn't realised had fallen.

"I'm fine, really," I mumble pathetically. I really am bad at lying.

"You _need_ to tell Edward," Alice says firmly.

"I can't. He seems…happy, with her. I can't ruin that for him, I've already messed him around enough," I whine, sobbing into the tissue. Alice leans over and wraps her arm around me, before starting the drive back to Forks.

When we get back to her house, Alice says she's going to give me a manicure to cheer me up. I agree, mostly due to her pouting, and so we head up to her room. Alice spends about ten minutes carefully selecting what colour nail varnish, until she finally decides on green.

I hold my hand out for her, and she begins sorting out my nails. I never have the patience to paint my nails; I always find that it takes too long.

Suddenly, the door opens and Edward enters the room. "Alice! The d-date went well! I b-barely stuttered," Edward grins down at his sister.

"Great, I'm happy for you," Alice pauses in doing my nails to stand up and hug her brother. I just stay, sat on the floor, not looking at him.

"Jessica even as-asked if she c-could be my g-g-girlfriend," Edward adds.

"I have to leave now," I announce, standing up and beginning to walk out of the room.

"But I haven't finished your nails!" Alice protests. I give her a quick, pleading look, to which she just nods, letting me go. I run down the stairs and get into my car, driving back home.

Edward's going out with Jessica? Right now I can't see why I ever thought it was a good idea to end things with him. I thought after maybe a month of two he'd be feeling better, and maybe we could start dating again. Never did I think he would start dating Jessica.

*********LLB*********

At school the next day I avoid Edward and Jessica as much as possible. During lunch I hide away in the library, because when I glanced in the cafeteria Jessica was sat practically on Edward's lap.

I consider skipping biology, as I can't completely ignore him in that lesson. He sits right next to me; he'd know something was up.

**I hate Jessica. Please come down to lunch :) ~Alice xxx**

I chuckle as I read the text, though I'm still not convinced to go down there.

**No, thanks. What's she doing? Or do I not want to know :S I'm considering skipping bio, though :O ~Bella xxx**

I discretely text under the table, so that the elderly librarian doesn't see.

**She's all over Edward! I want to vomit! She's even worse than queeny. Yuck. And, she clearly doesn't like Jazz, as she keeps being really rude to him! Don't skip bio, then Edward will **_**definitely**_** know something is up. He's already suspicious ~Alice xxx**

I'm pretty glad I decided to hide out in the library, then.

**Why are you hidin', Miss Bella? ~Cowboy ;)**

How did he get my number? Alice, probably.

**Did you give Cowboy my number? How can I handle sitting next to him in bio though? ~Bella xxx**

I text Alice first, before deciding what to text back to Cowboy.

**Three guesses ~Miss Bella**

If I'm as clear to read as Alice says, Cowboy will probably be able to guess.

**Um, not guilty? ;) He asked for it, though! Just don't speak to him or something! ~Alice xxx**

Alice would do anything Cowboy asked. Dammit.

**Edward and Jessica's new partnership? ~Cowboy**

**How did you know? ;O And how come it's not Miss Jessica? ~ Miss Bella**

**She doesn't deserve a 'Miss'. Don't you like Jessica? Is that why you're hidin'? ~Cowboy**

**That's partly the reason ~Miss Bella**

I'm trying to be vague with Cowboy, so that he doesn't tell Edward about my feelings.

**You love Edward? ~Cowboy**

I guess Cowboy's smarter than I thought, then. But love? No, I wouldn't say I'm in love with Edward. Just a tiny bit jealous.

**Not love. But, I am jealous. DON'T YOU DARE TELL HIM THOUGH! I'll set Emmett on you if you do ;) ~Miss Bella**

The bell goes, so I slowly make my way towards biology. Procrastinating isn't going to make things better, though.

When I enter the classroom I keep my focus on the floor, quickly taking my seat.

"Where w-were you at lunch?" Edward asks. Mr Banner hasn't walked in yet, so all the students are talking to each other.

"I had work to catch up on in the library." Wow, my lying skills are improving.

"It wasn't because of m-me?" Edward asks.

"No, of course not," I add a smile, though it's more of a grimace probably.

"Last night, y-you left pretty quickly," Edward questions, looking at me suspiciously.

"I had to go home. And, um, make tea. And stuff." The lying skills have now gone.

"I t-thought we were friends?" Edward mumbles, looking down sadly.

"We are!" I quickly tell him. I still want to be friends with him, just…more than friends.

"Look, I un-understand if you, um, don't l-like me. J-Just tell me," Edward says, looking up at me.

"I do like you!" More than you can ever know.

Edward looks away from me, looking a mixture of annoyed and upset. Maybe it's better if we're not friends?

Who am I kidding? Of course I want to be at least friends with him.

The following few days, I go back to sitting in the cafeteria with Alice and Cowboy. Edward and Jessica, however, sit with the other cheerleaders. It seems that I'm not the only one getting more and more distanced from Edward.

"Bella, just tell him how you feel!" Alice whines one lunch. She filled Cowboy in on all my feelings, and so now every day I sit through them trying to talk me into confessing to Edward.

"He doesn't even like me as a friend anymore!" I protest, glancing over to see Edward and Jessica engrossed in each other. Or should I say, engrossed in each other's mouths. Lovely.

"Maybe if he knew how you _really_ felt for him, though?" Cowboy suggests.

"Well, I would tell him if he could take his mouth away from Jessica's for just a minute," I whine, not at all bitter. Or sarcastic.

"You need to talk sense into him!" Alice tells me.

"Why don't you talk sense into him? You're his sister!" Both Alice and Cowboy have tried to talk to Edward, but he barely seems to have time for them anymore.

"We should get Emmett on the case!" Alice squeals happily.

"No, Queeny will love Jessica," I tell her.

Alice nods sadly in agreement, going back to eating her lunch.

"Bella, can I have a word with you?" I turn around to see Jessica standing behind me, a hand on her hip. Her and Edward managed to part from each other?

"Go ahead," I tell her.

"In _private_," she huffs.

"Fine," I huff back, rolling my eyes at Alice – who sniggers – before following Jessica out of cafeteria. She leads me into the girl's bathroom, checking to make sure it's empty before speaking.

What is she going to say to me that needs to be so private?

"So, um, what was it you wanted to say?" I ask. So far she's just been doing her make up in the mirror. It doesn't take much to distract her.

"Oh, right," Jessica says, turning to face me. "What's your deal with Edward?" She asks, hand on hip.

"He's my best friend's brother?" I answer.

"There's something more between you two," Jessica says.

"You're his girlfriend, you tell me." She doesn't seem too happy with that.

"Yes, that's right. _I'm_ his girlfriend. So don't even think about trying to steal him away from me, like you did with Mike," Jessica warns me.

"Um, Jessica, Mike was _my_ boyfriend, and I caught you two making out together," I roll my eyes at her.

"Whatever." Great come back. "Stay away from Edward." Jessica then storms out of the bathroom, forgetting about her school bag. I pick it up and walk out into the hallway, speed walking to catch up with her to give her the bag. "You better not have looked through it."

That's gratitude for you.

"You're welcome!" I shout sarcastically at her.

She just turns around and glares.

* * *

**A/N: What do you think of Edward and Jessica? :O**

**Review please! :)**

**Follow me on Twitter; katywonderland_**


	17. Chapter 17

**Bella:**

"So, what did Jessica say to you?" Alice asks, clapping her hands and leaning forward on the sofa in her living room. Cowboy tries to act uninterested with 'girly gossip', but I notice him putting down his book on Wars.

"She warned me not to 'steal Edward away from her'," I make bunny rabbit ears as I say this, "supposedly since I did the same with Mike."

"She s-said _what_?" Oh. That would be Edward. Please oh please tell me Jessica (evil cow) isn't standing next to him.

I turn around to Edward, just Edward, standing in the doorway, looking a mixture of angry and upset. I _do_ have excellent timing.

"Wow, I didn't see you there. So, um, I should probably-" Edward cuts me off before I can make a quick exit.

"Don't g-go. Tell me ev-everything she said," Edward demands, taking a seat on the sofa opposite the chair I'm sat in.

"That was it, really," I nod, quickly sending Alice and Cowboy a pleading glance, begging for help.

"Yeah, I mean, you were only gone about a minute, she couldn't have said more than that," Alice also nods, agreeing with me. Thank god.

"I can t-tell you're l-lying, Bella," Edward huffs.

"Fine. She just asked me what my 'deal' with you was, and emphasized how she was your girlfriend, not me," I tell him. Purposely I leave out the part where I kindly gave her back her bag, though she thanked me by accusing me of looking through it.

"Then w-why did you sarcastically s-shout 'you're welcome' at her?" Edward asks, pushing his glasses up his face. Why is he so damn cute? And perceptive? Actually, not perceptive, just always there, listening.

"Uh, no reason…" I mumble. I can't think of a good lie that quickly.

"Bella?" Edward pleads. Oh for god's sake, who can say no to him?

"I gave her back her bag, she left it in the bathroom, and she accused me of looking through it. And she didn't say thank you, either," I huff, crossing my arms like a petulant child.

"Anything else?" Edward asks, running his hands roughly through his hair.

"She told me to stay away from you. So, um, to not upset your _lovely_ girlfriend, I should probably go," I tell him, wanting to get up and run away.

"So _now_ y-you don't want to upset her?" Edward questions, raising his eyebrow at me.

"I don't get on with Jessica, alright! She cheated with Mike!" I throw my hands up in the air in exasperation.

"Is that the only reason, Miss Bella?" Cowboy asks. I thought he was on my side.

I glare at him, and mutter, "Traitor," just quiet enough so that Cowboy and Alice can hear, but Edward can't.

"Yes, _Bella_," Alice raises her eyebrows at me, clearly wanting me to admit my feelings for Edward.

No.

"Am I m-missing something?" Edward asks, looking between Alice, Cowboy and me.

"No, I think they've both just caught baby fever," I joke, trying to change the topic.

"You are, Edward's, it's just-"

"HELLO EVERYONE!" Thank god for Emmett. I glare at Alice for almost telling Edward just as Emmett enters the room. Though his visit is unexpected, I've never been more thankful. "You could cut the tension with a knife in here. What's going on?" Emmett says, sitting down next to Edward as Queeny walks in.

"Bella, can I have a word with you. Out in the hallway?" Alice asks, smiling too sweetly for it to be genuine.

"No, I think I should speak to Emmett a bit first," I tell her, also smiling sweetly.

"Hallway, now," Alice states more firmly.

"Maybe later?" I offer, almost losing my nerve.

"I wasn't asking," Alice grits out, standing up abruptly and dragging me out into the hallway. We go up the stairs, to the landing, away from the living room.

"You almost told Edward!" I whisper hiss.

"He needs to know!" Alice whisper hisses back.

"Not right now! Maybe not ever," I plead with her.

"Jessica's a bitch though," Alice tells me.

"You've changed your tune. At first you hated the thought of Edward and me together," I whisper quieter, to make sure no one hears. Though Emmett's booming laugh covers up a lot.

"What if he feels the same though?" Alice says, more gently.

"He's with Jessica. Of course he doesn't," I mumble.

"What if he does love you, and he's just with Jessica to make you jealous? And you both go on in life, oblivious to the others love," Alice says as we hear a gasp from the bottom of the stairs. I don't even want to know who that is. "What are you doing here?" Alice asks harshly. I still haven't looked who's there.

"Sorry, I didn't realise a private meeting was taking place." Queeny. Why her? Why not…Cowboy?

"How much did you hear?" I whine as she walks up the stairs, heels tapping loudly against the wooden floor.

"Enough," she replies coolly, standing next to and towering over Alice and me. Queeny's naturally tall, the heels just increase that.

"If you're looking for someone to blackmail, I probably have about $1, if that," I reply, crossing my arms to convey confidence.

"I'm not into blackmailing kids," Queen Bee huffs, looking bored. Oh wait, she always looks bored.

"I'm not a kid! I'm 18!" Damn, tall ass meany.

"Whatever," Queeny flicks her hair over her shoulder and checks her nails.

"Just promise not to tell Edward," Alice warns, pointing her finger at Queeny.

"Look, whispering about it together on a landing is hardly good secret keeping. Anyway, how do you know you're in love? You barely even seem to speak to Edward," Queeny says loudly.

"Shhh!" I quickly tell her. "It's complicated, alright!" I huff.

"They were together, then they weren't, now he's with Jessica," Alice tells her. I just glare and mutter traitor once again.

"Let's go in Alice's room." Alice and me are then dragged by Queeny into Alice's bedroom, and ordered to sit on the bed. "Tell me everything."

Alice and I spend the next half an hour explaining to Queeny everything about Edward and me. Several times I question her motives, hoping to god she doesn't repeat any of this to anyone. Especially not to Edward.

"Clearly you're a wimp," Queeny declares after hearing everything. I'm so tempted to reply 'clearly you're a bitch', but she might tell Edward then.

"How, exactly?" I settle for replying.

"Because you never should have ended things in the first place!" Queeny says, fairly loudly. Is she never quiet?

"I was trying to help!" I retort.

"Maybe we should be quieter? And won't they find it suspicious that we've been gone for so long?" Alice suggests.

"Emmett will be clueless, and everything you just said proves Edward won't have a clue," Queeny says to us.

"Ok then. I don't see why you're suddenly being so helpful, though," Alice asks suspiciously.

"Because maybe I care about my boyfriend's brother?" Queeny huffs.

"But not his sister?" Alice asks.

"Look, I'm _trying_, alright! Bella, you just have to tell Edward how you feel. Jessica sounds like a bitch," Queeny sighs.

"You barely know her?" I question, still suspicious.

"Fine. Don't believe that I'm a nice person. But if I was truly as evil as you make me out to be, wouldn't I have told Edward by now?" Queeny rhetorically asks us both.

"Well, that's everything. We should probably go back downstairs now," I reluctantly agree with Queeny.

"Everything? No, no, no, we need a plan," Queeny grins.

"A plan for what?" I ask apprehensively.

"To get you Edward, duh," Queeny says.

Oh god.

* * *

**A/N: What do you think of the sudden change in attitude of Queeny/Rosalie? :P**

**Review please! :)**

**Follow me on Twitter; katywonderland_**


	18. Chapter 18

**Edward:**

"Am I m-missing something?" I ask; looking at my sister's raised eyebrow, Jasper's pointed look at Bella and the beautiful blush covering Bella's face. I'm not sure she even realises she's blushing right now.

"No, I think they've both just caught baby fever," Bella tries to change the topic – even I can tell that – but Alice doesn't seem to want to let that happen. Good, because I want to know what's going on.

"You are, Edward's, it's just-" Alice very nearly tells me, but then Emmett has to come in. He really does have the worst timing, though by the look on Bella's face, she's happy about it.

What doesn't she want me to know?

Is it about Jessica? Ever since Jessica and I started dating, Bella has completely avoided me. If it's because she doesn't like Jessica, then I'll dump her in a second. For Bella, I'd do anything. Anything to have her in my arms again, to kiss her again. But it's been almost a month since she ended things between us, and she hasn't shown any signs that she wants anything more from me. I can tell she just wants us to be friends.

When I go back into the conversation, Alice is dragging Bella out into the hallway, while Bella is still glaring. She's trying to look scary, but to me she looks more like an angry kitten. A cute, angry kitten.

"I'm just going to freshen up in the bathroom, it was a long journey," Rosalie says, standing up and walking out of the room. I take the opportunity to question Jasper about all the secrecy, since it's clear he knows what's going on.

"Jasper, what w-was all that about?" I ask him.

"Wow! Edward, your stutter is so much better!" Emmett says, sounding a mixture of happy and shocked. Despite my initial worries about Emmett, he's turned out to be an amazing brother. I couldn't have asked for a better family, even if it did take me 17 years to find them.

"Thanks," I mumble, a little embarrassed at the attention.

"Yeah, Jasper, what was all that tension about?" Emmett asks. I'm glad he's on my side in this.

"Oh, Miss Alice is just…crazy, you know. Hormones," Jasper nods, not fooling either of us.

"Is it J-Jessica?" I ask him.

"Who's Jessica?" Emmett questions, looking confused at everything.

"Edward's girlfriend," Jasper says. Do I detect a hint of annoyance in his tone?

"You've got a girlfriend? Way to go, buddy," Emmett grins widely at me.

"Is it h-her?" I huff to Jasper, just wanting to know why Bella doesn't like me and what she's hiding.

"Partly," Jasper responds.

"Partly? I feel like I'm missing something," Emmett looks between Jasper and me, as if we'll suddenly shout out everything that happened between Bella and me.

"Edward an' Miss Bella had a thang, Miss Bella called it off, now Edward has a girlfriend." Oh. I guess one of us _was_ planning on shouting out everything that happened.

"What?" Emmett demands.

For the next few minutes Jasper and I explain to Emmett everything that went on between Bella and me, why she called it off and things like that.

"I'm going to have a strict talk with my little pixie sister," Emmett huffs.

"Don't. It's cl-clear Bella just w-wants to be friends with m-me. If that," I tell him. Jasper's head snaps up, giving me a weird look, before he quickly looks down again.

"How do you know this?" Emmett asks me.

"He doesn't!" Jasper shouts out.

"I d-do! I j-just do!" I shout back, standing up and pacing around the room.

"Has she said this?" Emmett asks, ignoring Jasper's outburst.

"Y'all know nuthin'!" Jasper shouts, and this time Emmett does pay attention.

"Then tell us what you know!" Emmett says, standing up and walking over to Jasper. I sit down in the armchair Bella was previously sat in.

Now I think about it, her and Alice have been gone quite a while. As has Rosalie. Rosalie is understandable, though, she could spend forever on her makeup. But I don't get what Alice and Bella have been talking about this whole time.

"…Miss Bella told me somethin', but I can't say what!" Jasper finishes, and I realise I haven't been listening to most of what he's been saying.

"Bros before hoes?" Emmett offers, with a smile to show he's joking.

"Edward…you need to know, Miss Bella…she's doesn't wanna be friends," Jasper says. So that's why she's been distancing herself from me.

"I…I get it. I t-thought that m-might be it," I mumble, hiding my face in my hands. This hurts more than I thought it would.

"No! No! Not like _that_! She…" Jasper's about to say something, but he stops.

"She what?" I ask, feeling pathetically close to tears.

"She loves you."

What? She what? No, she can't. How? She's barely spoken to me since Jessica…Jessica? Is she jealous? Is that what it is?

"Really?" I ask; just to make sure.

"Miss Bella loves you," Jasper says once again.

"So…" I blow out a large breath, wondering how to phrase my next sentence. "Is that…I mean, is she j-jealous? Of Jessica? Is t-that why she's av-avoiding me?"

"Uh huh. And she doesn't wanna admit her feelin's to you. 'Case you don't feel the same," Jasper explains to me.

"How do you feel about her?" Emmett asks me. How _do_ I feel?

"I love her. Jessica is just a…r-rebound?" I sound so horrible, but when I think about it, it's the truth. Jessica is nothing compared to Bella.

"Edward, can I ask you somethin'?" I nod in response to Jasper. "Please don't be tellin' Miss Bella I told you 'bout her feelin's."

"Ok," I agree to his question.

Now I just need to try and make Bella see how I feel about her. The first step is to end things with Jessica, the second step is to show Bella how much I care about her, and the third step is to get her to be my girlfriend.

Easy, right?

When Bella, Alice and Rosalie finally return from upstairs, they mumble little excuses as to what they're doing. Emmett looks shocked at how close Rosalie seems to be with Alice and Bella.

At school the next day, I put step one of my plan into action. Lunch time comes, but instead of walking to the hall to meet Jessica, I ask her to meet me outside to talk. Here goes nothing.

"What's up, Eddie?" Jessica coos. Oh god, I can't _stand_ the nickname she decided to give me. Eddie? I sound like a five year old.

"Um," I have no idea what to say. How do you break up with someone in the nicest way possible? "Recently, um, well, everything between us has just, uh, m-moved so fast," I begin with, searching for the words. I push my glasses up onto my face while I think of what to say.

"There's something I need to tell you," Jessica says. She sounds worried, making the atmosphere ten times more awkward.

"O-Ok…" I mumble, waiting for her to continue.

"I had sex with Mike last night!" She blurts. Right. Well, I wasn't expecting that.

"Ok…" I repeat, not knowing what to say.

"Aren't you upset?" Jessica huffs, stomping her foot.

"Uh, not really. I was a-about to break up w-with you, anyway," I tell her with a shrug of my shoulders.

"WHAT?" She shrieks. Maybe I shouldn't have been so blunt? "Is it for that slut, Bella?" Jessica shouts.

"Actually, you're the slut. Bella didn't sleep with someone while dating someone else." I turn around and walk away, pleasantly surprised with how well things went.

Maybe I should feel upset, but instead it just gave me a good reason to leave her. I know Bella would never do anything like that, so already she's better than Jessica can ever be for me.

**You and Jessica finished, then? ~Jasper**

I read the text, and wonder how he knows.

**Yes. How do you know? ~Edward**

I walk towards the cafeteria as I wait for a reply. Today, I can sit with Alice, Jasper and Bella again. I might even be able to sit next to her, if I'm lucky.

**Practically the whole cafeteria heard Jessica screechin' outside! ~Jasper**

That would explain why everyone is currently staring at me as I walk towards the table where Alice, Jasper and Bella are sat. Everyone resumes their chatter as I sit down – next to Bella.

"Are you alright?" Bella asks, wrapping her arms around me and hugging me tight. I'm shocked at her sudden change in behaviour, though I soon squeeze her back.

"I'm fine, h-honestly. I was breaking u-up with her anyway," I shrug, eating some of my food.

"It still must make you sad, though?" Bella asks kindly. She's always so sincere.

"I'm good. Trust m-me," I smile at her, before returning to my food.

Step two is now commencing – make Bella see how much I care about her.

* * *

**A/N: What did you think of Edward's view of things? :D**

**Review please! :)**

**Follow me on Twitter; katywonderland_**

**Also, I created a blog, so check it out! katycullen23 . wordpress . com (remove spaces)**


	19. Chapter 19

**Bella:**

Queeny tells me that to get Edward; I need to not-so-subtly show him how I feel. Apparently, according to Queeny, Edward is oblivious to reading signs in women. I personally hadn't noticed this, but Alice nods furiously in agreement.

At school, I drive myself once again and don't manage to catch Edward before school. Queeny said I needed to flirt with Edward, but I'm not sure how comfortable I feel doing that while he's still with Jessica. It seems like a bitchy move, to me.

"Where's Edward?" I ask Alice and Cowboy as I join them at lunch. I looked around the hall but I didn't see Jessica or Edward sat at their usual table.

"Hello, yes we're good, how are you?" Alice replies dryly. "He walked in here and asked to speak with Jessica, then they left."

"Ok," I nod, not liking to think of what they might be doing. I look up at Cowboy, who seems to be purposely not looking at me. Strange. "How are you today, Cowboy?" I ask him.

"I'm good, Miss Bella," he nods, still not looking at me.

"You seem…I don't know," I mumble.

"Yeah, you've been quieter. Like you're hiding something," Alice muses, in agreement with me.

"What? No, you must be mistakin' me," Cowboy quickly responds.

"Have you-" As I'm about to ask if he's told Edward anything, there's a screaming from outside.

"WHAT? IS IT FOR THAT SLUT, BELLA?" Jessica's voice screeches from outside. Um, what?

"Actually, you're the slut. Bella didn't sleep with someone while dating someone else," Edward's voice replies, slightly raised by still quite calm.

All of the cafeteria look a little in shock, and a lot of them direct their attention to the table I'm sat on. Or, more specifically, towards me. I feel like shouting out how I know as little as them. And I'm not a slut.

Edward walks in, momentarily pausing because of everyone's eyes on him, but then he quickly walks over and sits next to me.

"Are you alright?" I ask, giving Edward a tight hug. He looks like he needs it. At first he stiffens, though soon he tightly hugs me back.

"I'm fine, h-honestly. I was breaking u-up with her anyway," Edward shrugs. A small part of me, deep inside, squeals with joy at this new information. I sneak a glance at Alice, who's unashamedly grinning and giving me a thumbs up.

"It still must make you sad, though?" I offer; wanting to make sure he's ok. Just because I'm happy, it doesn't mean that he is.

"I'm good. Trust m-me," Edward smiles genuinely, looking happier than I've seen him in a while.

I trust him. Of course I do.

*********LLB*********

In the weeks following Edward's break up with Jessica, we once again become much closer. Though, every time a girl looks at him suggestively, I get a pang of jealousy. As the days pass Edward's stutter continually improves, but as his stutter improves girls notice him more.

That doesn't particularly help with the jealousy.

"I can do my damn maths homework! They've set us a whole frickin' exam paper, and I can't even do half of it!" I whine, throwing the paper down on the desk in biology.

"Where w-were you at lunch?" Edward asks, looking a little amused at my frustration.

"Trying to do this stupid maths!" I huff, slouching down in my seat.

"How a-about I h-help you?" Edward offers.

"Really? You'd do that!" I squeal, maybe a little too loudly.

"Of course," Edward smiles warmly.

When it's the end of the day I go over to the Cullen's house, so that Edward can help me with my maths homework. I'm incredibly thankful for his help, but also maybe a little nervous. This is going to be the first time Edward and I are truly alone together since we called things off.

I'm not sure how much self-restraint I have.

"You and Edward have a date?" Alice whisper-squeals to me as we're walking into her house.

"No, just maths revision," I whisper back, not wanting to get my hopes up.

"Yeah…" Alice trails off; "_Just_ maths," Alice raises her eyebrows at me, and gives me a wink.

I nudge her away into the living room, with Cowboy, before following Edward up to his room. I stand by the door for a bit, a little awkward, though soon Edward gestures for me to sit next to him on his bed.

"So, um, wh-which q-questions, uh, are y-you struggling wi-with?" Edward stutters. He hasn't stuttered this bad in weeks.

"The…the simultaneous equations. I don't really understand them," I admit sheepishly, fishing the paper from my bag and turning to said question.

"Oh, I can help with those," Edward says, seemingly relaxing a little. I hope I don't make him nervous.

Edward gets another piece of paper, and begins to show me a simple method of how to work them out. The way he explains it makes things much easier to understand. He'd be a brilliant teacher if I didn't keep getting distracted by his eyes or the way he has to push up his glasses every so often.

"Bella?" Edward says, snapping me from my thoughts.

"Hmm? What?" I blurt distractedly. When Edward leans over to get another piece of paper his t-shirt rides up ever so slightly, giving me a glimpse of his stomach and abdomen.

"You seem d-distracted?" Edward queries. Oops. Maybe I wasn't so discrete with my staring.

"No, uh, not at all," I quickly tell him.

Edward nods in response, quickly going on to describe the next topic. I focus more this time, learning more about everything. He would make a brilliant teacher when he's older.

"Should w-we take a br-break?" Edward suggests.

"Sure," I nod, getting up and stretching a little.

"I'll get us some sn-snacks," Edward quickly excuses himself.

I take the time to wonder around his room, observing mostly his large collection of books. One whole wall is almost filled with books. I look through the titles, noting that there are only a couple that I haven't read. I guess a love of reading is something we share.

"Bella?" I quickly turn around and see Edward look at me, a small, crooked smile playing on his lips.

"Sorry. I got curious," I explain to him.

"Anything you haven't read?" Edward asks, knowing my love of reading.

"Only a couple of books," I tell him as he walks closer to me.

My breathing picks up, wanting nothing more than to kiss him right now. Suddenly, he stops walking, running a hand roughly through his hair. Looking torn, he hands me a drink, before sitting down on his bed and drinking his.

I rest the drink on a shelf, then slowly walk over and sit next to him. Carefully, I reach over and take his hand in mine, fully intending on confessing my feelings for him.

Completely surprising me, he turns to face me, and leans in towards me. Just as he's about to kiss me, I put my hand up on his lips and stop him. A look of shock registers on his face, and I briefly register the sound of his glass falling onto the floor. Water sprays up my leg and Edward's, but he ignores it as he gets up and begins pacing around the room.

"I th-thought…c-clearly I w-w…was wrong!" Edward says, looking close to tears.

"Edward, no…" I try to explain, but he cuts me off.

"Don't apologise! I'm the idiot! Just forget it happened, ok?" Edward pleads with me.

"Listen to me," I begin, standing up, "Ow, fuck!" I shout, accidentally standing on a piece of the fallen glass.

"Bella!" Edward exclaims, rushing over to me. Picking me up, he runs downstairs and into the living room where Alice, Cowboy, Esme and Carlisle are sitting.

"What has happened?" Esme asks, rushing over to us.

"I dropped my glass…Bella st-stood on it!" Edward rushes out in one breath.

"Let me take a look," Carlisle announces. I'm laid down on the sofa, but I protest.

"I'll get blood over everything!" I tell Esme.

"Don't worry, honey, the most important thing is making you better," Esme says calmly.

Carlisle begins investigating my wound, which continues to bleed. "I think you're going to need to go to hospital. There's still some glass in the wound and it would require higher pain medication than I'm allowed to keep."

"Seriously?" I whine, completely annoyed at where things between Edward and I have been left.

"Sorry, Bella," Carlisle says.

"I'll call your mum and dad," Esme tells me. She drives over to my parent's house to meet with them and take them up to the hospital, while I travel with Edward and Carlisle.

Soon I'm carried into the car by Edward, with Carlisle sat in the front driving. Edward looks completely uncomfortable, and I just want to explain to him why I stopped him from kissing me. I wanted to make sure that, unlike last time, we would be in a relationship, and I wanted to be sure of Edward's feelings. Now I think about it, I probably should I have said these things first, before rejecting Edward's advances.

Looking over at Edward, I try to show him my love for him and how I was only doing this for good reasons.

Once we arrive at the hospital, Carlisle's status gets me seen to quicker. Also, due to it being the early evening in a quiet town, there's not too many other people.

"Ah, Bella, so we meet again," Dr Uley jokes.

"Before the jokes begin, this was _almost_ completely not my fault!" I tell him.

"Almost completely not your fault? How does that work?" Dr Uley chuckles.

"Edward dropped his glass, which I happened to forget, and I accidentally stood in it," I explain.

"Oooh, nasty," Dr Uley makes a face. He begins to inspect my wound, causing me to ever so often wince.

Later in the evening, when I'm made to just rest while they're looking at my X-ray (yes, I had to have an X-ray. They wanted to make sure there were no more shards of glass in my foot), it's just Edward and I alone in the hospital room.

"Edward, can I tell you what I was going to say before this happened?" I ask, a little bit nervously. I'm scared I've ruined everything between us.

"If y-you, um, w-want t-t-to," Edward mumbles, fiddling with the zip on his jacket.

"Can you look at me?" His eyes snap up to mine, thankfully. "I didn't stop you from kissing me because I didn't want to kiss you." Edward scoffs, rather loudly, at this, so I glare at him a bit. "I…I didn't want the same thing as last time to happen."

"You were the one who called it off though, remember," Edward comments, a mixture of upset and anger in his voice.

"Yes, and I've regretted that every day since it happened!" I blurt out, blushing at my own admission.

"Then why didn't you say anything?" Edward asks, looking dubiously at me.

"Because I told you _I'd_ be waiting! As in, _you_ should make the first move! But then you go off and date Jessica," I huff, getting angry myself.

"Are you going anywhere with this?" Edward replies, sounding bored.

"Maybe it was a good idea I stopped you from kissing me. Clearly you don't give a shit who's on the end of the lips you're kissing!" I shout, feeling tears of anger well in my eyes. I genuinely thought that Edward felt something for me.

Edward stalks towards me, standing next to the bed I'm stuck in. "You think I don't care? You think…you think these past few months, not being allowed to kiss you, hasn't been hard?" Edward asks rhetorically, not stopping long enough for me to answer. "I know you l-like me to. Jasper t-told me."

"Cowboy told you _what_?" I demand, pushing myself in a seated position.

"That…that y-you, uh, y-you, um, l-love me," Edward mumbles, suddenly losing the fiery passion he had just a minute ago.

"What? Why would he tell you!?" I feel so embarrassed, betrayed and upset right now. Not only does Edward confuse me, he now knows exactly how I feel. And doesn't seem to reciprocate my feelings.

"Don't be mad at him," Edward says.

"Don't worry, I'm not!" I fume, channelling all my mixed emotions into anger towards Edward.

"I love you," Edward blurts.

"I know you know I love you!" I huff, before it clicks what he said. "Wait…you _what_?" I gasp as the first few tears begin to fall. I'm not sure what I'm feeling right now.

"I love you too," Edward admits, gently brushing away my tears.

"How? Why?" I rush out, not thinking any coherent thought.

"You're beautiful, intelligent, the most welcoming person in Forks, a great kisser…need I go on?" Edward smiles looking, well, happier than I've ever seen him. Just like him, I start smiling. The tears ease off as everything sinks in.

"You love me?" I question, needing to certify it once more.

"As you love me," Edward replies, leaning closer to my face. I reach up to kiss him, to show that I'm not going to reject ever again. Running my fingers through his hair, I feel tears welling up in my eyes once again.

It's been too long since we've kissed. If I thought I missed it before, I was wrong. I can't think of anything that could stop me from kissing Edward.

"What's going on here?" A booming voice demands.

Ah, right. _That_ would be a reason to stop kissing Edward.

My father.

* * *

**A/N: What do you think!? What about Charlie's reaction? ;)**

**Review please! :)**

**Follow me on Twitter; katywonderland_**

**Oh, also, my fanfic 100 Days has been nominated for Top Ten Completed Fics of November 2012 at www . twifanfictionrecs . com (remove spaces). If you've read it, I'd really appreciate it if you voted for it. Thank you :)**


	20. Chapter 20

**Bella:**

"Uh…dad…I can, um, explain…" I stutter as my cheeks heat up, colouring my whole face a bright pink. Great. Just great.

"Explain what?" My mum asks, also walking into the room. I don't know how it's possible, but I feel my face heat up further.

"I just walked in on these two kids kissing!" My dad huffs, pointing to Edward and I as if it weren't already obvious.

"So you're back together?" My mum asks. I groan, quite loudly, when I remember how I told her everything after I called things off.

"What?" Edward and dad ask at the same time, looking and mum and me. Oh god.

"Charlie, stop being such an old man! Bella's 18 now and Edward's a good boy," my mum chastises my dad, while Edward still looks confused.

"I'd still rather you didn't flaunt this new relationship," dad grumbles.

"Maybe you should have knocked then," I chuckle, just as Dr Uley walks in.

"Does the knocking rule apply to me?" he jokes, looking between all of us.

"Nah, you're alright," I tease back.

"Right, well, we've had your X-ray results back, Bella, and thankfully there aren't any remaining shards of glass. Now I can stitch up the cut and send you on your way," Dr Uley explains to us.

*********LLB*********

Two hours later, I'm finally allowed to go home. Giving me a chaste kiss on the cheek, Edward leaves me to go home. Dad pointedly raises his eyebrows at Edward, before calling him over to have a word with him.

"Please, _please_ don't scare him away, dad," I whine. Mum helps me into the house while Edward and my dad talk to each other outside. I dread to think of what he's telling Edward.

I go straight up to bed, immensely tired both physically and emotionally after the long day I've had. I fall asleep almost as soon as my head hits the pillow. I sleep too deeply to really dream, and I groan really loudly when my alarm goes off.

When I stand up to get out of bed, I forget about my foot and accidentally put too much pressure on it. Ow, that shit hurts.

**Open your curtains :) ~Edward**

How did Edward get my mobile phone number?

Shrugging, I walk slowly over to my curtains, and open them to reveal Edward, grinning widely, right outside. I push open the window, wasting no time to give him a good morning kiss.

"Hey," Edward greets, sponge in hand. I almost forgot he was a window cleaner.

"My dad didn't scare you off, then?" I chuckle, though I'm secretly incredibly relieved he's here. "And how did you get my number?" I add in an afterthought.

"No, though he did warn me that if I broke your heart, he'd break my b-bones. Alice gave me your number. Told me to be romantic," Edward shrugs, kissing me again. "How's your f-foot?"

"Better. Though, dropping your glass was a bit of an over-reaction," I tease him.

"What? I t-thought the love o-of my life didn't want me!" Edward says in defence.

"Of course I want you. Wait, so, when did Cowboy tell you…about my feelings?" I ask, worried for how long he's known.

"That d-day you told me about what J-Jessica said to you," Edward says.

"I'm gonna kill him," I huff. Edward just laughs.

"Don't. We m-might not be where we are if it w-weren't for him," Edward reasons.

"Fine. I'll just severely maim him," I settle with. "Now, I need to finish getting dressed, curtains _closed_, so I'll see you at school. I love you."

"I'll pick you up at 8:30, ok? Love you too," Edward gives me one last kiss before I close both the window and curtains. I pick out an appropriate outfit – maybe just a little inappropriate to tease Edward – and get ready as fast as possible with a foot bandaged up.

The cut itself was fairly deep, but the need for a large bandage was due to where the injury is. Since it's on my foot, I need to try and not put too much pressure on it, to make sure it heals fully.

I'm sat eating breakfast when the doorbell rings. I expect it to be Edward, so I'm a little shocked when I see Alice on the other side. She squeals and hugs me, and then helps me walk out to the car. I should be helping her, really, since she's the pregnant one.

Alice is now two months pregnant, though she hasn't barely got a bump yet. She's not wearing as tight clothes anymore, but it would be impossible to tell she was pregnant if you didn't already know.

Once I'm seated in the back of the car, Edward immediately takes my hand. I look lovingly over to him, leaning over to give him a kiss.

"He's still my brother and you're still my best friend, no snogging will happen in the back of my car!" Alice huffs.

"Sorry," Edward says, clearly not at all sorry.

"Listen to my pregnant girl," Cowboy drawls.

"Actually, I have a bone to pick with you, Cowboy," I glare over to his place in the front seat.

"Uh, w-what would that be, darlin' Miss Bella?" Cowboy stutters, looking scared. Rightly so.

"Did you, or did you not, tell Edward my feelings for him? Even when I _specifically_ asked you not to?" There's a gasp from Alice, and I'm pretty sure Cowboy is sweating.

"I…uh…I thought it'd help, Miss Bella," Cowboy pleads.

"You _told_ him?!" Alice fumes.

"Hey, Emmett and I b-basically begged him too!" Edward says, trying to defend Cowboy but making things worse.

"Emmett knows?" I shout, feeling completely embarrassed.

"Maybe…" Edward answers in a small voice.

"It helped though, right?" Cowboy asks hopefully.

"Yeah, though I would've preferred to not have my foot impaled on some glass in the process," I huff, crossing my arms over my chest.

Arriving at school, Edward helps me out of the car. We link arms so he can steady me, and then set off to our first lesson.

"You're not st-still mad, right?" Edward asks outside my English classroom.

"Of course not," I smile sweetly, leaning up to kiss him. I don't care who sees us.

"I KNEW YOU WOULD GET WITH THAT BITCH!" Ok, maybe I should care. Because that sounded like a very high pitched, squeaky, angry Jessica.

"Don't call her that," Edward says quietly, menacingly.

"You're just a rebound, you know that, Bella?" Jessica says, speaking to me.

"Why are you still obsessed with him? Don't you have Mike now?" I replied, not at all intimidated by her.

"But I want Edward!" Jessica whines like a petulant child.

"I'm not available," Edward simply replies.

"You'll regret this!" Jessica huffs, pointing at both of us.

"Really? Because, right now I'm not," Edward states coldly. With a final huff, Jessica storms off down the corridor. "Are you ok?" Edward is quick to ask.

"I'm fine. I just…I should have expected that. I love you," I grin, kissing him again.

"I love you too," Edward smiles, as he walks off to his class.

I walk into my class and sit down, a sigh escaping me. I miss him already.

"Bella! What happened to your foot?" Angela chuckles, sitting down next to me.

"I stood on some glass," I shrug as Angela laughs at me.

"You can't go a week without injuring yourself, can you?" I shake my head at her question. "I saw you and Edward outside…" Angela trails off.

"Yeah, we're together now," I blush, thinking about Edward once again. I wish we had more lessons together. At least today I won't have to do gym.

"Awww! You guys are so sweet together! And just ignore Jessica, she's an idiot," Angela whispers the last part, probably to make sure none of Jessica's friends hear us.

Throughout the day I'm counting down the hours 'til lunch, when I can see Edward again. Between lessons I have to slowly hobble, trying to avoid people so that I don't further injure my foot. On some occasions I'm late to lessons, so when I finally enter I just point to my foot in explanation.

The classrooms upstairs are by far the worst.

Finally, it's lunch time, so I make my way to the cafeteria. I see Cowboy along the way, who helps me carry my food over to our table. I take my seat, pouting a little when I don't see Edward here yet.

"It's only been a couple of hours!" Alice jokes, noticing how much I'm missing Edward.

"Says the one who followed Cowboy around like a puppy dog for weeks," I shoot back.

"Says the one who was pining after Edward for weeks!" Alice quickly retorts.

"Weeks?" A voice asks from behind me. That'd be Edward. And my face would be a beetroot.

"Uh, well, um, not, uh, _weeks_, per se…" I mumble, glaring at Alice who is currently using Cowboy for protection.

"How long?" Edward insists, sitting down next to me and placing his tray of lunch on the table.

"Not so long…" I'm trying to find a way out of this. Right now I'm considering kissing him to distract him or feigning an illness.

"A week? Two weeks? A _month_?" Edward asks, still determined to find out.

"Maybe…since…since our first kiss?" I offer, ducking my head.

I feel a soft, gentle hand on my chin, lifting my face to look at his. "Our very first kiss?" Edward confirms.

"Yeah," I nod slowly. "It wasn't love straight away. I think…I think I realised I loved you the day after I called things off with you."

"Then why didn't you say anything?" Edward cups my cheeks, looking imploringly into my eyes.

"I left things with you. I thought you hated me." I lean into his hand, returning his gaze.

"I did. Well, not hate. Just a-annoyed. And then I realised why I felt so strongly, so I…" Edward trails off, not finishing his sentence.

"You what?" I ask firmly, a stark contrast to our previous gentle touches and loving words.

"I…I was only with Jessica, um, to try and m-make you je-jealous…" Edward looks down, looking ashamed of himself.

"Hey, look at me," I request, his eyes going back to mine. "We were both idiots, correct?" I pause as Edward nods. "Neither one of us seemed capable of admitting our feelings, did we? At least now we know," I chuckle softly, giving him a chaste kiss.

"Bella, guess what!" Alice suddenly squeals, breaking mine and Edward's love filled trance. Now I understand her and Jasper more.

"What?" I ask back, smiling. Edward places his arm on the back of my chair, softly tracing circles on my arm.

"Do you have to?" Edward whines. I look between him and Alice, trying to figure out what's going on. Cowboy looks just as confused as I feel.

"It's Edward's birthday on the 21st of December!" Alice bursts happily.

"How come you never told me? That's only two weeks away!" I turn to face him.

"It's no big deal…" Edward comments, running a hand through his hair.

"Of course it is! I need to get you two presents now. Or how do you feel about joint presents?" I ask him, but he just looks confused.

"Wait, why two presents?" he asks, looking at all of us for answers.

"Well, a birthday and a Christmas present," I explain to him.

"Really?" Edward asks, still looking in shock.

"Yeah, why are you so shocked?" I ask, kissing his cheek.

"Um, my…my birth m-mother never had money for Christmas. Or my birthday. Though, she did one year offer me some vodka. But that was on my 13th birthday, so I told her I was a bit too young," Edward explains to us.

"Seriously?" Alice looks close to tears. Edward just nods in response.

"I never even thought…I'm going to get you the biggest present ever!" I promise him.

"You don't have to," Edward tells me.

"I'm not doing this because I have to, I'm doing this because I want to," I tell him.

Just before the end of lunch, Alice and I make plans to go shopping for Edward, and to arrange a family dinner on his birthday. We thought he'd be more comfortable with just family, rather than lots of people he doesn't really know from school.

I can't wait to get his present.

* * *

**A/N: What did you think of the fluffy chapter? :D**

**Review please! :)**

**Follow me on Twitter; katywonderland_**


	21. Chapter 21

**Edward's Birthday - Part 1 (it's split into two parts because it would've been a ridiculously long chapter otherwise :D)**

* * *

**Bella:**

It's the day of Edward's birthday, and we're meant to be going round to the Cullen house soon.

"I don't want any funny business," Dad reminds me.

"I thought you said you'd accepted the idea of Edward and me dating," I huff, crossing my arms over my chest and giving him the stink eye.

"Accepted; yes. Happy; no," Dad points out.

"What sort of funny business do you expect? I'm hardly going to molest him in the kitchen!" I throw my arms up in frustration.

"Calm down, Charlie, she's happy. Let her be," Mum says, thankfully sticking up for me,

"See, someone who's speaking _and_ thinking," I exclaim, pointing at my mother.

"Come on, let's go before we're late," Mum says, dragging Dad and I out of the house. She pushes us into the car, and I'm forced to sit in the back since they're both in the front.

"So, a younger man, hey?" Dad muses as we're driving towards the house. I groan very loudly and very audibly, banging my head against the window.

"By a couple of months!" I whine. "Anyway, just because you like a younger woman," I retort childishly. Dad's five years older than Mum.

"Touché," Dad chuckles, shaking his head as he pulls into the drive.

We all get out of the car and knock on the front door. Instead of anyone answering it, Esme just calls out 'come in' to us. Shrugging, we open the door and walk inside the house. Correction, inside the _mad_ house.

Emmett has flour all over him, Queenie's hair is a mess, Alice is screaming unintelligibly, Cowboy is lying on the sofa, Esme also has flour on her, and Carlisle is nowhere to be seen. Like I said before; _mad house_.

"We'll…go help Esme and Carlisle," Mum and Dad mutter, wandering off into the kitchen.

I nod, and walk into the living room, where all the teenagers appear to be. Apart from Edward. I wonder where he is.

"Where's Edward?" I ask no one in particular. Only after I have spoken do they realise that I'm here.

"Oh, hey, Bella," Queenie greets me, raising her eyebrows at my questioning of where Edward is.

With a shrug, I reply, "We're together now. I had to stand on glass in the process, but, yeah, we're together." Then, completely surprising me, Queenie laughs. Proper, loud laughs. Have I stepped into some parallel dimension?

"There you are," Edward smiles warmly, walking into the room and over to me. Instantly, his arms reach out and wrap around me, and he plants a big kiss on my lips.

His stutter has improved dramatically. Now, when he's with family and friends, he doesn't stutter once. Of course, there are still some occasions. Like at school, if he has to give a presentation, or when he's particularly nervous about something, but other than that, you'd never know he once could barely say a sentence.

"Edward, dude! She's like a sister to me!" Emmett complains, covering his eyes.

"Sor-" I cut off Edward's apology by placing my hand over his mouth.

"I can't recall the amount of times I've had to see you stick your tongue down your girlfriend's throat," I tell Emmett, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I'm sorry, Bella," Queenie says. Both Alice and I just stare at her – wide eyes.

"Woah, woah, woah, are you Rosalie Hale?" Alice confirms, looking at her.

"Um, yes?" Que-_Rosalie_ nods.

She's acting confused, but she knows exactly what we mean. Alice and I have never tried to hide our distaste for Rosalie, only when Emmett's around. So now, I can't understand why she's acting strange. Well, not so much strange, but _nice_.

I turn to Edward, still confused, and give him another kiss. It's his birthday, he's gets extra kisses. That, and the fact I can't keep my hands or lips off him.

"Happy birthday, sweetheart. Have you had a good day?" I ask, snuggling into his hold.

"It's been good. A lot different from my other birthday's, though," Edward tries to joke, but since a couple of weeks ago, he's told me more about his birthday's. Apparently, his mother wasn't the most nurturing kind.

"Are you looking forward to your present from me?" I smirk; a little excited to see his reaction.

"Is it something I should be opening in front of my parents?" he teases, placing soft kisses on my cheeks.

"One part you can," I chuckle, blushing a little when I think about the other gift. It's nothing _too_ bad.

"And the other?" he pulls back a little, his eyes widening.

"Don't worry, it's not like a condom or anything," I reassure him, laughing at the look on his face.

"Yeah, it's Alice and Jasper who need to learn how to use condoms!" Emmett shouts, pointing at Alice and Cowboy who are sat next to each other on the sofa. Alice is starting to get a little bump, and recently had her first scan. Every time she looks at the picture of the developing baby she starts crying.

"I _know_ how'ta use a condom," Cowboy drawls. He's not fooling anyone.

"Clearly not," Emmett replies. Despite his initial hatred of Cowboy for knocking up his baby sister, Emmett actually seems to be quite friendly with him now.

"Too late for should-offs now," Cowboy jokes. Alice sends a little glare his way.

"Bella, Alice, could I have a word with you two? Outside?" Queenie asks.

"Sure, why not," I shrug, standing up from next to Edward. Though not before kissing Edward.

Once out in the hallway, we're led upstairs and into Emmett's old room by Rosalie, who doesn't say a word. Except for 'follow me'. Alice and I both exchange nervous glances, wondering what the hell is going on.

"You two are probably wondering what the hell is going on." It's like she's a mind reader.

"You could say that again," Alice mumbles, placing her hands on her stomach. She's been doing that a lot recently, but half the time it's like she doesn't even notice she's doing it.

"For a long time, I just acted civil around you guys because of Emmett. In high school you two were…the dorks, and I didn't want to been seen with you. Emmett, however, was another matter," Rosalie begins.

"Um, if this is an apology, it's not working. You're just offending me further," I scoff, sitting down on Emmett's bed. Who does she think she is? _'I didn't want to be seen with you.'_

"Well, if you'd let me finish," Rosalie huffs, pacing around the room while Alice joins me on the bed. "Em is…very family orientated. I wanted to make a good impression, and it wasn't until I started dating him that I realised just how close he was to you two. So, to keep him happy, I pretended," Rosalie continues with her story.

"I'd never of guessed…" Alice murmurs. I nod in agreement with her.

"Look, so, to keep Emmett happy, I pretended. I was amazed when he believed it, and, up until recently, thought he still did. However, one night Emmett called me up on it. Asked if I _really_ liked you two. So, I admitted that I wasn't as close as I made out," Rosalie sighs.

"Wait, how close did you say we were?" I squint my eyes at her. When she was around, I only ever acted civil. I never acted as though she was my friend.

"I told him we were good friends, who text each other on a regular basis." Alice and I gulp, looking towards each other for comfort. "What?" Rosalie glares at the both of us.

"Um…" I mutter.

"Well…" Alice continues.

"The thing is," I mumble quietly.

"Emmett may or may not have asked us…" Alice says, continuing the story.

"Whether or not we had your number," I admit sheepishly.

"So what did you do?" Rosalie demands.

"We may have laughed. Pretty hysterically," Alice tells her, shuffling closer to me.

"I don't believe this…" Rosalie whines, pacing around the room some more. "Basically, I told him I'd try harder."

"What, you want to make a deal with us or something? To act friendlier?" I ask, frowning. I don't like the sound of that.

"No. No more faking," Rosalie insists. "I want to…to try and, um, be friends. With you two," she pauses, looking worried for some reason.

"Why, we're just 'dorks'?" Alice asks, using what Rosalie called us before.

"Because I love Emmett, with all my heart, and I truthfully don't know what I'd do without him," Rosalie admits, looking actually quite sad.

"How do we know you're still not faking?" I raise an eyebrow, needing more to convince me.

Rosalie looks at both Alice and me, seemingly trying to find the words. Or, rather, the courage to say the words. It doesn't seem like Rosalie finds it easy to compliment other people or apologise.

"I've come to realise that you two are actually pretty cool. I was such a bitch in high school, I can admit that. Emmett," at his name, Rosalie sighs dreamily. "Emmett's grounded me. Made me realise popularity isn't everything."

I consider this for a minute, trying to see if she is telling the truth. She seems genuine, but it's hard to tell. And I suppose she is sort of nice to Edward and she _does_ make Emmett happy.

"This doesn't mean we're forgiving you for everything you've done, that'll take more time," I point out to her. I vividly recall when she first met Edward, and claimed I'd already 'sunk my claws' into him.

"I know, I truly am sorry for being such a bitch though," Rosalie pleads.

"We'll call a truce. Not friends yet, just not enemies right now," Alice decides, holding out her hand to shake Rosalie's. I do the same.

But, surprising me once again today, Rosalie hugs us both.

"How about a girly sleepover some time?" Rosalie suggests to us.

"Maybe," we agree, going back downstairs to join the others.

I sit next to Edward, avoiding the kitchen as I can here lots of crashing and banging happening. Edward frowns at us, wondering what we were talking about, but I just shake my head. I'll tell him later.

"Food!" Esme calls out to all of us.

Let the madness begin.

* * *

**A/N: Should Rosalie be trusted? :O**

**Review please! :)**

**Follow me on Twitter; katywonderland_**


	22. Chapter 22

**Edward's Birthday – Part 2**

* * *

**Bella:**

Everyone is sat around the table, which is quickly becoming crowded. I'm sat in between Alice and Edward, who's looking a little overwhelmed. There is a helluva lot of food covering the table.

Pots of vegetables, roast potatoes, mash potato, chicken – absolutely everything.

Carlisle and Esme start serving out plates of food for everyone, pilling up tonnes of vegetables for us.

"Thank you," Edward mutters, digging into his meal.

We all mutter our own thank you'd and tuck into the meal prepared by Esme and Mum. All of it is absolutely delicious, silence filling the room as everyone focuses on the food.

"So, Edward, what are your plans for the future?" Trust my dad to be the one to break the silence. I glare over at him, as does my mother.

"Um, I'd like to study astrophysics, Mr Swan, and, uh, possibly get a job relating to NASA," Edward replies, not looking at my dad. Carlisle looks proud of his son. Slowly but surely, Edward and Carlisle are becoming closer.

"You plan on moving to Florida then?" Dad asks gruffly. "And call me Charlie, son."

"Not necessarily, though I would like to visit NASA," Edward replies, seeming more calm. Maybe it's because his hand is now resting on my leg, gripping it lightly. I'm not complaining.

Dad seems to accept this, returning to his food and stopping his questioning of Edward.

After food, we move to the living room where Edward can open all the present's we got him. His parent's give him a present first, a small black box. Whatever it is, it looks expensive.

Edward slowly opens the box, his expression turning to shock when he sees the contents.

"Thank you, Es-mum and dad, it's amazing," he smiles, taking out the object. He shows us all the expensive looking watch that's inside. Esme urges him to put it on, so he clasps it around his wrist.

Next, he moves on to the gift from my parent's. He opens the package which turns out to be some Converse shoes, in a dark green colour. I helped them choose them for him.

Once again, he thanks my parent's greatly, before moving on to the next gift. This one is from Alice and Cowboy, who decided to buy him a joint present. Inside the box, there's a piece of paper. Edward reads out what it says, and it turns out it's a gift of two tickets to the cinema in Port Angeles.

"We thought you might wanna take Bella," Alice smirks, winking at us. I roll my eyes and blush, scowling at her.

"Thanks, Alice and Jasper," Edward grins, ignoring Alice's wink.

Emmett eagerly hands him the gift from him and Rosalie, a little too eagerly. I _dread_ to think what's inside the fairly small box. The gleam in Emmett's eyes…it…well, it says it all. Oh god.

"Emmett," Edward sighs, possibly in relief? "This is…wow," Edward mumbles, bringing out the gift a bit. I can see it's a photo frame, but I can't see what's inside the frame.

"We thought you'd like it," Rosalie smiles – actually _smiles_ at Edward and gestures to the gift.

"What's the picture inside?" Esme asks, trying to see the photo frame.

"It's me and Bella," Edward announces happily, looking a little emotional. He turns around the frame, showing it off to everyone.

It looks like it was only taken a couple of weeks after Edward arrived in Forks. Edward and I – in the picture – are just sat, on the sofa, talking. We both look content and happy in it.

"That's so thoughtful, Emmett," Esme chuckles, sounding a little surprised.

"It was mostly Rosie's idea," he shrugs, though still looking proud of himself. Rosalie looks down, shrugging along with Emmett. Once again, I'm shocked.

I smile and hand Edward my gift. I'm a bit nervous he won't like it, but he seems happy enough when he accepts it from me. Eagerly tearing open the wrapping paper, he pauses when he sees what's underneath.

"You remembered?" he asks, a mixture of shock and happiness in his voice.

* * *

_Edward and I are lying on his bed, just hugging each other and occasionally kissing. It's peaceful, bliss. There's nowhere I'd rather be._

"_You looking forward to your birthday?" I ask him. I feel him shrug against me, so I raise an eyebrow in questioning._

"_Birthdays have never been a big deal to me," Edward explains, though it only leads to more questions forming in my mind. I briefly think back to when Alice told me about Edward's birthday, and how his birth mother wasn't big on presents._

"_Alice throws the best birthday parties," I assume him, chuckling. "So, what did you used to do on your birthdays, then?" I ask, curiosity getting the better of me. I hope he doesn't get offended._

"_There was this one tradition we had. Up until I was about 12," Edward begins, looking nervous. I reassure him by kissing him softly on the lips. It seems to work. "As a child, my favourite books were the Chronicles of Narnia. So, on the evening of each of my birthdays, my birth mother would read them to me until I fell asleep," Edward explains to me, his eyes welling with tears._

"_Edward…" I wrap my arms around him and pull him to me tighter._

"_I haven't read those books in years," Edward chuckles, trying to lighten the mood. "The tradition stopped, since mother preferred to drink rather than talk to me," Edward sighs, looking sad once more._

"_Maybe we could start that tradition again?" I suggest, trying to cheer him up._

"_I'd like that," Edward says, then pauses. "I'd like that a lot."_

* * *

Edward excitedly inspects the book I got him – all the Chronicles of Narnia in one book – and turns to me, teary eyed.

"Bella, this means more than I can ever say," Edward admits, looking in awe at the book.

"Don't worry, you're more than showing how you feel," I tell him, snuggling into his side as he wraps his arm around me.

Everyone looks at us, all with matching expressions of confusion, so Edward half explains the importance of the book. I notice he leaves out certain parts of his story, I presume because he doesn't want to tell everyone about it.

After the presents, we all play board games together – a Cullen, birthday tradition – while a film is playing in the background. Edward looks like he's having the most fun he's had in years, and I occasionally catch myself just staring at him. Hopefully lovingly, rather than like a stalker.

"Oh to be young and in love," Esme sighs, sitting next to me on the sofa. We decided to sit out from this particular board game. Cluedo – a game I'm not particularly fond of.

"What?" I turn to face her, my face heating up at being caught staring at her son. She treats him exactly the same as Emmett, you'd never know Edward was adopted by her.

"You and Edward. You're so…easily together, if that makes sense," Esme smiles, turning to face me.

"It does. I can't imagine being without him," I admit, smiling when Edward smiles over at me. He's just so perfect. Perfect for me.

"Just promise me one thing?" Esme asks me. I nod at her question. "Will you and Edward at least wait a couple of years before making me a grandmother again?" I actually choke, on air, it seems, as Esme's question. Woah, woah, woah. _Grandchildren?_ Edward and I haven't even…not even close to…just no… Not yet. Someday? Yes. But far into the future.

"Yes, definitely, I mean…yeah, shit, I'm…no," I blurt, not really making any sense. Esme, who I _used_ to adore, just laughs. Damn her.

"Good, that's the reaction I wanted," Esme nods, looking proud of herself.

Our conversation is stopped when we hear raised voices. It would appear an argument has broken out among the players of the game.

"You just looked at my cards!" Emmett shouts, pointing out Cowboy.

"Oh! Nu uh, mister! You be lookin' at _my_ cards!" Cowboy quickly retorts.

"I beg to differ," Alice states, joining in the argument.

"Whose side are you on, Alice? Your brothers or your boyfriends? Huh?" Emmett asks, staring at Alice.

"And father of your baby," Cowboy adds, pouting at Alice.

"How 'bout the big brother who beat up all the boys who gave you unwanted attention?" Emmett adds. Alice looks between the two boys, clearly having no idea who to choose.

"I love you, my little Miss Alice," Cowboy drawls, using all his charm.

"Hey! I love her too! Just not…like _that_. At _all_," Emmett shudders, amusing Rosalie. Everyone's eyes are on Alice, waiting to see who she chooses.

"I choose…" she taps her chin, dragging out the suspense. "Brother or boyfriend?" she hums, looking deep in thought. "I'd choose Edward," she finally decides.

"WHAT?" Both Cowboy and Emmett shout in unison, looking outraged.

"He wasn't even part of it!" Emmett shouts out.

"He is my brother, though," Alice giggles, clearly enjoying what's going on.

"That's, Ali, you're my favourite sister," Edward grins at her.

"Thanks…" Alice begins, when it dawns on her. "Wait, I'm your _only_ sister?" she points out in a huff.

"But you're still my favourite," Edward chuckles.

Board games are abandoned after that, with all the parents agreeing that they cause too many arguments. I couldn't agree more.

When dad announces we need to leave, I pout and whine in protest. I wanna stay with Edward. Edward pouts a little, too.

"Kiddo, can you wait in the hallway while we say goodbye to Esme and Carlisle?" Dad asks. After muttering _'I'm 18, not a kid anymore'_, I walk out into the hallway. With Edward close behind me.

"Thank you for my gift," he grins, wrapping his arms around me.

"You're welcome," I smile, nuzzling into his chest. "And your other gift? I've decided that can be your Christmas present," I tell him.

"I have to wait 'til Christmas?" he whines, kissing my cheek.

"It's only four days away!" I point out, laughing.

Instead of replying he kisses me deeply, his tongue seeking entrance to my mouth. Our tongues battle with one another, as we continue our passionate kiss. I moan, tilting my head back to grant Edward further access.

"This is exactly the kind of funny business I didn't want," Dad grumbles, walking past us. I hear mum chuckling in the background.

_Thanks_, dad.

* * *

**A/N: What do you think of the second part of Edward's birthday party? :D**

**Oh, and check out my blog. I re-vamped it (link's on my profile)!**

**Review please! :)**

**Follow me on Twitter; katywonderland_**


	23. Chapter 23

**Bella:**

Alice and I are currently driving towards Emmett and Rosalie's flat in Seattle. It's the day after Edward's party, and Rosalie insisted we have a sleepover at her place. All the way in Seattle.

"Remind me again why we agreed to this?" Alice sighs, banging her head against the windows.

"Because we love the doofus called Emmett, who has one helluva dimpled smile," I respond, focussing on the drive.

We've decided to stop over in Port Angeles to grab some lunch and do some shopping before continuing our long journey. Rosalie set out earlier today, and Emmett's staying at the Cullen house to have a 'boy's night' with Cowboy and Edward.

"I miss Jazz," Alice pouts, her hands rubbing her stomach.

"I miss Edward, but, come on, we need to stop whining and prepare ourselves for tonight!" I chuckle, apprehension over tonight taking over. I still wouldn't consider Rosalie a particularly close friend, so I'm very glad Alice is here with me.

"Right," Alice nods, though she still brings out her phone. Presumably to text Cowboy.

The drive to Port Angeles passes fairly quickly, both Alice and I singing at the top of our voices along to the radio. By the time we park outside a restaurant, we're both exhausted. We've had fun, though, and that's all that counts.

We grab a very unhealthy yet tasty burger and chips, before hitting the shops. We buy matching pyjama sets – tank tops and shorts – along with fluffy slippers. You can't beat fluffy slippers.

Also, we buy some chocolates for Rosalie. As a thank you, for giving us a second chance and letting us stay over.

When we start off driving again, Alice drives for a bit. I text Edward a couple of times, just checking how he is. Sue me, I miss him.

**I'm fine, honey. Honestly. Though Emmett has promised to question me about you later! ~Edward xxx**

I laugh as I read the text, not feeling sorry for him at all.

**Awww, poor baby ;) I miss you, can't wait to see you again. I'm gonna have to go now, do some more driving, love you ~Bella xxxxxx**

Alice pulls over so we can switch seats. Secretly, I think it's just because she wants to text Cowboy.

*********LLB*********

We get a little bit lost in Seattle trying to find Rosalie and Emmett's apartment, but we eventually find it. Using the satnav on Alice's phone.

Thank god for smartphones, is all I'm saying.

Knocking on the door and clutching our bags, we take one last nervous glance at each other. Maybe Rosalie will surprise us, but she _did_ openly call us dorks.

"Hey! Come in, just put your bags in the living room, and make yourselves at home!" Rosalie smiles, hugging us both as we walk inside.

We do as instructed, both sitting on the sofa as Rosalie runs off to get us some drinks. Despite my closeness to Emmett, I've never actually been in the apartment before. It feels really homey, with pictures of both their families on the walls and random items scattered around. It's not messy, it just feels lived in.

"Here. I made smoothies," Rosalie tells us, handing each of us a pink, thick drink.

We both accept them, and take a sip from them. It's actually really nice. I can taste strawberries, cherries, raspberries and banana, I think.

"What's in it?" I ask; to try and make conversation.

"Strawberries, banana, cherries, raspberries and a peach," Rosalie tells me. "Oh, and, of course milk, but I used natural yoghurt instead of cream for a healthier option," Rosalie adds.

"It's really nice," Alice comments, already having drunk half of hers.

"They say pregnant women should eat and drink as much fruit and veg as possible. I thought it would be a good idea to make," Rosalie nods, smiling timidly. "You know, this is the first sleepover I've ever had or been to," Rosalie admits.

"Really? How come?" Alice asks, already looking upset at the thought of that.

"My parents were pretty strict, and my 'friends' weren't really that close to me. Out of school, I never really saw them," Rosalie nods, looking down to hide the fact her eyes are filling with tears.

I think I'm beginning to understand Rosalie more, now. She was only friends with those people because, maybe, she wanted to feel accepted. But they were never really her friends. They were never as close as Alice and I are.

Even so, this doesn't excuse all of her bitchy behaviour. It helps me realise why she was like that, and I think Alice is realising this too.

"How about we all give each other a makeover?" Alice suggests, grinning widely. She loves makeovers.

Soon enough, all kinds of make-up products have been laid out on the coffee table, with us three sitting around it. I see eyeliner, mascara, lipstick, blusher, nail varnish, and the rest – I have no idea what those things are.

Alice does Rose's make-up, both of them do mine, and Alice tries to teach me about how to correctly apply make-up. That lesson doesn't go too well.

Overall, the evening has been surprisingly fun. Talking to Rosalie – when she's being herself – is actually quite fun. Getting to know her shows that she can actually be quite nice.

When she wants to be.

"How are things with you and Edward going?" Rosalie asks me.

"Good, really good. I've never been happier," I smile just at the thought of Edward.

"I just realised you're both dating my brothers!" Alice announces suddenly.

"At least neither of us is pregnant," I joke to Alice.

"Shut up," Alice tries to act angry, but I can see her smiling. I laugh, as does Rosalie.

"We should watch a film!" Rosalie announces, walking over to a cabinet where I presume the films are. "Chick flick? No. Comedy?"

"I could go with a comedy," Alice nods. I nod in agreement.

Rosalie puts on _Hot Fuzz_, which we all laugh at. We watch four films before we start to get tired, so Rosalie gets some put-up beds and covers that we can sleep on.

Alice gets the sofa – since it's the comfiest and she's pregnant – while Rosalie and I choose between an air bed and a spring bed. It's a pretty tough decision.

In the end, I go for the air bed. It's actually pretty comfy.

*********LLB**********

I wake up to the smell of bacon and pancakes filling the apartment. Oh, and the sound of my stomach grumbling loudly.

"Damn, Bella, didn't you eat before bed?" Alice whines sleepily.

I did actually eat. Quite a bit. But my stomach seems to be a bottomless pit.

"You know my stomach's a black hole," I reply, stretching as I wake up.

I sit up from the air bed, noticing how it's deflated slightly over night.

**I swear Emmett now knows more about my life than I do! I didn't get to sleep until 5 because of his questions! ~Edward xxxx**

I laugh as I read the text. Since it's 9 in the morning, he'll only have had four hours sleep.

**What did he ask about? ~Bella xxxx**

As I wait for his reply, I wonder over to the kitchen to see if I can help with breakfast in any way. Rosalie asks if I can set the table, so I do just that.

**It's easier to say what he **_**didn't**_** ask about! He even asked if I was a virgin! ~Edward xxxx**

I know I shouldn't, but I laugh at the text. Just a little.

**How did you reply to that? :P ~Bella xxxx**

Alice returns from the bathroom just as Rosalie serves breakfast. She's made a feast, the table now filled with pancakes, toast, bacon, and a wide variety of juices.

**All I said was that you were my first kiss :) ~Edward xxxx**

The grin on my face probably looks ridiculous, but I don't care. Rosalie and Alice both give me puzzled looks, but I just shrug them off. I'm too happy to care.

I have the sweetest boyfriend. Ever.

"Do you reckon you'll be with Emmett forever?" Alice asks Rosalie out of the blue. "Because I _know_ I'll be with Jazz forever," Alice sighs dreamily.

"Yes, I think we will be together forever. I can picture getting married and having children with him," Rosalie says, sounding certain.

I get to thinking about Edward, and whether we'll be with each other forever. _Yes_. I love him, so much, I've never felt this way for anyone else.

* * *

**A/N: What do you think of Alice and Bella bonding with Rosalie? :)**

**Review please! :)**

**Follow me on Twitter; katycullen23**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: So, as of today, it's two months since I last updated. I just want to apologise profusely, as for this chapter I had terrible writers block. I know exactly how the story will go after this story, I just couldn't write this chapter.**

**Hopefully from now on I'll be able to update at least once a week :)**

* * *

**Bella:**

It's Christmas!

I jump out of bed and rush over to the curtains, wrenching them open to check for snow. A white sheet covers everything, transforming Forks from a once green town to a now crisp and white town.

"Merry Christmas, Bells!" My parents sing in unison, entering my bedroom.

"Merry Christmas, mum and dad," I reply, walking over and hugging both of them. "Present time?" I ask eagerly.

They both nod and walk down to the living room, where I excitedly follow them. I love Christmas.

Once we get to the living room, I sit in the armchair while my parents occupy the sofa. Mum hands me my present, which I eagerly tear into.

"You got me a camera? Thank you so, so, so much!" I shout, jumping over to the sofa to hug both my parents.

Then, of course, I open up the camera box and take pictures of both my parents, and everything else.

Around midday, after I've taken pictures of the entire house, the Cullen family arrives. It's been a tradition since as long as I can remember for us to spend Christmas together, with us alternating which house we're in each year.

This year, however, it's even better, because it means Edward will be here.

Esme and Carlisle help my mum and dad out with preparing the food, leaving Alice, Edward, Emmett, Rosalie and me in the living room. We exchange gifts between us, all wishing each other a Merry Christmas.

Alice and I really have got a lot closer with Rosalie after the sleepover.

"Merry Christmas, sweetheart," Edward says to me, giving me a sweet kiss.

"Merry Christmas to you too," I smile back, kissing him again.

"Guys, less of the lovey-dovey shit! I feel like a fifth wheel," Alice complains, flopping down on the sofa.

"Sorry," I say to her, though I'm still smiling at Edward.

"So, when's your due date, Alice?" Rosalie asks conversationally.

"Mid-July, so, thankfully, after the exams," Alice replies, breathing a sigh of relief for extra emphasis.

"Have you and Cowboy thought of names?" I ask excitedly.

"No, not yet," Alice sighs. "But we have decided that we don't want to find out the sex. Jazz is hoping for a boy, but I'm hoping for a girl," she adds, grinning.

We discuss the pregnancy some more before we're all called out to the dining room table. Somehow, all nine of us manage to squeeze into the small dining room, though we do have to be split onto two tables. Adults on one, teenagers (including Emmett and Rosalie) on the other.

Everyone eagerly tucks into the meal, the turkey, stuffing, carrots, peas, and potato all equally delicious.

"This is amazing, mum," I call over to the adult table.

I glance over to Alice, who's sat across from me, to see her plate almost spotless.

"Don't judge, I'm eating for two," Alice warns. "You, on the other hand…" she trails off, pointing her fork at me.

"What can I say, fast metabolism!" I shrug, smiling widely at her.

Emmett – who's already on to his second serving – just grins sheepishly.

Rosalie turns to Edward and says, "You'll get used to the insane eating eventually." Edward chuckles and holds my hand under the table, sending me a coy smile. I smile back, shuffling a little closer to him.

Once lunch is finished we have the Swan family tradition, of games. Well, _Uno_. Edward looks worried when we push the tables together and all gather around to begin playing.

"Um, I've never played _Uno_ before," Edward whispers in my ear.

"Don't worry, I'll teach you," I reply, kissing his cheek.

"Less kissing, you two," My father's says gruffly, huffing. Mum rolls her eyes at him and tells him to quit being so grumpy, making me snicker.

As we play _Uno_ I talk Edward through the basic rules, who takes great joy in playing the plus 4 cards against Emmett. Lots of laughing and loudness ensues, as it always does when we play this game. At least once we all get accused of cheating and working together to win the game.

The evening is a lot calmer, all of us gathered in the living room watching traditional Christmas films. I sit as close to Edward as possible, as close as my father will allow.

At around 9 in the evening, there's a knock on the door, so my father goes to answer it. He soon walks back in, followed by a police officer. I sit a little straighter, worried about their presence and what's going on.

"I understand Edward Cullen is here?" The police officer begins.

"Y-Yes, th-that's me," Edward stutters, standing up to face the officer.

"I'm Officer Walker. I'm here to speak to you as you're the next of kin to Elizabeth Masen. You're her son, correct?" Officer Walker explains.

"Yes. Wh-what's wrong with h-her? Is sh-she in prison?" Edward asks, moving closer to the officer.

"No, she's not in prison. She's actually in hospital; she was in a car crash." Edward stares at the officer in horror, not really knowing what to say.

"What are her injuries? Which hospital is she in?" Carlisle asks, jumping up and putting a comforting arm around Edward.

"She's in Seattle, in the Harborview Medical Hospital. At the moment all I know is that she's broken a leg and is currently in surgery for internal injuries," Officer Walker explains.

"How was the crash caused?" Edward suddenly asks.

Officer Walker considers him for a moment, before opening and closing his mouth as if at a loss of what to say. Or maybe he doesn't want Edward to know what happened.

"She was drunk, wasn't she? She was drunk and she was driving, and now she's in hospital. This is just…typical," Edward mutters bitterly.

"Yes, that's what happened," Officer Walker admits, albeit reluctantly.

"You do realise she's done this before, right? She had to pay a $600 fine and a driving ban of a year. Since that was less than a year ago, she shouldn't have been driving anyway," Edward seethes, pacing around the living room and growing more and more agitated.

"We do know that, and she'll be punished accordingly," Officer Walker replies smoothly. "Do you want to see her?" he adds.

Edward scoffs at that, shaking his head defiantly. "Of course not. She'll survive, and as soon as she's out of hospital she'll be straight into prison for maybe a year? I'm better without her in my life."

I'm shocked at Edward's cold words, despite the fact they're completely understandable. He's been living here for just over three months now, and not once has his birth mother tried to contact him.

"Are you sure about this? You don't want to see if she'll be alright?" Esme asks, walking over to pull Edward into a hug.

"I'm certain. She's already ruined Christmas enough times in my life," Edward says firmly.

Officer Walker nods, looking a little awkward in the living room.

"Here's our number, call and let us know what happens," Carlisle offers the police officer. Edward glares at his father, which Carlisle just shrugs off. "You'll thank me later."

My father sees out the officer, and re-joins us in the living room. Edward still looks angry as he sits next to me, so I hold his hand in what I hope to be a reassuring manor. He leans over and kisses my cheek, whispering a 'thanks' in my ear. I smile back, snuggling a little closer.

Shortly afterwards the Cullen's decide to leave, due to the recent events. Whilst my parents are saying goodbye to Edward's, I pull him with me into the kitchen to say goodbye to him properly.

"You sure you don't want to see your mother?" I ask him, hugging him tightly.

"I'm positive. Esme's my mother now, and she's been more of a mother to me in the past few months than my birth mother ever was," Edward says, squeezing me tighter before pulling back a little.

Slowly he leans down as I reach up on my tiptoes, and press my lips to his. My fingers thread through his hair and massage his scalp gently as his large hands rest on my hips.

"Edward! We're leaving now!" Esme calls out. We break apart, both of us groaning.

Just as I'm brushing down my hair Edward reaches forward and pushes a strand behind my ear, placing a more chaste kiss on my lips.

"I love you," he whispers, hugging me once more.

"Love you too," I reply.

We walk over to the front door where everyone is waiting and receive knowing looks. I just shrug, hugging Edward once more before his parents pull him away and into his car.

I watch the car drive away before finally retreating back to the living room, to my parents.

"Oh, to be young and in love," Mum sighs as I sit down in the armchair.

"Mum!" I whine, glancing over at her.

"What!" she chuckles. "It's true! You and Edward are completely besotted with each other."

My Dad grunts in annoyance at this information, so I roll my eyes at him.

"He's not taking away my baby just yet," Dad huffs, crossing his arms.

Both Mum and I chuckle at his typical behaviour. When I head up to bed I check my phone, seeing a text from Alice and Edward.

**Goodnight, sweetheart, I love you :) P.S. sorry if I got you in trouble with your dad ~Edward xxx**

I giggle at his text and reply telling him I love him too and tell him my father just gave me the typical hassle.

**Jazz asked me to move in with him once the baby arrives! Ahh! I love him soooo much :D ~Alice xx**

I'm so happy that Cowboy is so accepting of her pregnancy. Secretly, I think he was thrilled when he found out.

When I go to sleep that night, I fall asleep happy with everything that's gone on.

I just hope everything with Edward and his birth mother is ok.

* * *

**A/N: Thoughts on Edward's reaction to his birth mother? :O**

**Review please! :)**

**Follow me on Twitter; katycullen23**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: If you read Call It What You Want, you'll know that the reason I haven't been updating any of my stories recently has been due to receiving the news on Easter Sunday that may father had passed away. Because of this I haven't really been in the mood to write anything, but I hope you'll stick with me :)**

**If you are reading Caved In, it'll probably be a while before I update that, or any of my other stories**

* * *

**Bella:**

Over the past few months, everything seems to have flown by. Alice's bump has grown, Cowboy seems even more in love with her, Edward and I are closer than ever, and Alice and I have become somewhat friends with Rosalie. Edward's birth mum is still in prison, after being imprisoned for 2 years due to dangerous driving. He rarely even mentions her name.

All of our exams have now finished, so we're waiting to see what will come first; Alice's birth or graduation. She's hoping for graduation, understandably, which happens to be the day before her due date.

Talk about timing…

"Penny for your thoughts?" Edward asks, kissing my forehead. We're currently lying on the grass in my back garden, making the most of the rare sunshine Fork's is seeing. I suppose we better get used to it.

"Just thinking mostly about graduation and Alice," I reply, staring up at the clouds which are dotted over the mostly clear blue sky.

"Should I feel hurt you spend more time thinking about my sister than me?" Edward mocks hurt, placing a hand on his chest.

I roll onto my side to face him, kissing his cheek gently. "I'll miss her. I'm sad I won't get to be with her when their baby is growing up," I explain to him.

"I know, sweetheart," Edward replies, turning around to kiss my lips.

I shuffle across the blanket to move closer to him, resting my hand on his hip.

"But we can always come back and visit. It's not like we're going across the country," Edward add, kissing my nose. He's right, as well. We're both going to Berkeley University in California, so it's not too far from Forks. It's only a couple of hours by plane, so we can always visit. Which I know we will, often.

"Less talking, more kissing," I demand, trying to sound serious as Edward presses his lips to mine. I kiss him back with fervour, his hand that was previously just resting on my hip now gripping it tighter, pulling me ever closer.

Just as I'm hitching a leg over his, I vaguely hear the back door opening. Damn it, I was just getting into this!

"Hey, kids, tongues back in your _own_ mouths, please!" My dad's gruff, cop voice, shouts at us. Edward moves away quicker than I do, though not as quick as he used to. My dad seems to have a great talent for stopping us getting up to any 'funny business', as he calls it.

_See if he can stop us in California…_

"Oh, Charlie, they're young and in love!" My mum sighs wistfully. There must be something pretty major up if they're both out here.

I straighten out my shirt and turn to face them; noticing Edward is purposely not fully turning around due to a trouser issue.

I stifle a snigger.

"What's up?" I ask my parents, blocking Edward's legs from view.

"Thanks," Edward whispers in my ear.

"We thought you might like to know that Alice has gone into labour," My dad announces.

"What? Seriously? But this is, like, a week before her due date!" I shout excitedly, standing up.

"When did her waters break?" Edward asks, also standing up.

"I dunno. I just got off the phone with Esme. Now, we'll answer your questions on the way to the hospital," My mum tells us.

Edward and I rush inside and grab our shoes before heading in the car to the hospital.

When we arrive at the hospital, Esme and Carlisle are already here, along with Cowboy's family, his parents Emma and David and his younger sister Charlotte. Mum and dad rush over to Esme and Carlisle, while Edward and I take a seat next to Charlotte. I think I remember Cowboy saying she was two years younger than us.

"Hey, you're Cowboy's younger sister, right?" I say to Charlotte. She looks a lot like Cowboy, with honey coloured hair and skin darker than anyone native to Forks. Aside from the Quileute's.

"Cowboy?" Charlotte questions.

"Oh, sorry, that's my nickname for Jasper. You know, because of the whole Texas thing," I explain to her, blushing.

"I'll have to remember that!" Charlotte giggles, helping me to relax a little.

We sit in the waiting room for a while, the adults making small talk about the new baby, mostly. After graduation, Cowboy and Alice are moving into a flat of their own, with Alice doing a course online and I'm not so sure what Cowboy is planning on doing. Alice's course, though, is going to be about fashion designing.

After sitting in the waiting room for two and a half hours, we begin to get restless. Mum and dad announce that we'll probably have to leave soon, since I have a lot of packing to do.

I don't have _that_ much stuff.

"I'll text you later, ok?" Edward smiles at me, standing up when I do to say goodbye to me.

"You better," I tease back, hugging him tightly.

"I could come and help you pack?" he offers hopefully.

"You know we never get any packing done when you 'help'," I snicker, watching as his eyes darken.

While we haven't gone all the way yet, we've done other stuff together.

"Is that such a problem?" Edward winks, kissing my cheek.

"Yes. Anyway, you should stay here for you sister," I remind him, kissing his lips relatively chastely.

"Come on, Bells," my dad shouts, so I roll my eyes.

"See you later," I tell Edward, kissing him once more before walking off to my parents.

Just as I reach them, I hear my mother tell my father, "How do you think you'll keep stopping them when they're in California?" I laugh to myself as I hear this, but I am curious to hear my dad's response.

"As long as it's not under my roof, that way I don't need to think about it," my dad replies.

Soon enough we've made it back home, and I'm back to sorting out keep or throw out of all my things. I find myself throwing out mostly clothes, which I seem to have so many of. Most of my books I'm going to leave here, but I am going to take my favourites.

*********LLB*********

Around 3 in the morning, I'm woken up by my phone vibrating, alerting me to a new text.

**Sorry if I wake you. Alice has had a beautiful baby girl, named Lily about ten minutes ago! ~Edward**

I smile as I read the text, anxious for when I can see Alice and her new arrival.

**Tell Alice congratulations! I'll be in tomorrow to see both mother and baby :) You must be exhausted staying up this late! ~Bella**

I fall asleep before I hear his response, too tired to stay awake to keep up the conversation.

*********LLB*********

In the morning, like I said I would, my parents and I go to visit Alice and the new arrival. When we arrive Edward's also there along with his parents and Cowboy's family.

"Oh, Alice, she's beautiful!" I coo; looking down at the tiny bundle I'm holding in my arms. "Look, she even has you oil rig hair!" I add, noticing the small black wisps that adorn her tiny head.

I hand her over to my mum, whose eyes fill with tears. Lily gets passed around almost everyone, though Alice soon demands her back.

"How are you feeling?" I ask Alice, standing beside her bed.

"Exhausted," Alice groans, but there's still a smile on her face.

"Get used to it," I smirk, grinning at her. She just glares.

We spend some time with her in the hospital; however we soon leave to give her some rest and quiet time before she takes the baby home.

Esme invites everyone around to her place afterwards, since she has a surprised for Cowboy and Alice that she wants help with. Half an hour later, I'm sat next to Edward in the crowded living room, with Esme and Carlisle discussing their plans with Emma and David. My mum's still here but my dad had to leave for work, which is pretty good since it means I can sit closer to Edward without him receiving any glares.

"So, what's the surprise, then?" My mum asks after Esme hasn't revealed anything yet.

"Well, as you all know, I'm an interior designer, and Alice and Jasper have been looking for a house. Since Alice isn't going to college, she's studying online, her college fund isn't needed. So, Carlisle and I were thinking of putting that money towards a small house for them," Esme announces.

"That's a wonderful idea!" Emma grins widely, gripping David's hand tightly.

"We'd like to put some money towards that. Maybe buy furniture?" David suggests.

"That's really not necessary," Carlisle informs him.

I tune out the adults as they begin politely arguing about the costs of this, and turn to face Edward better.

"I can't wait until we leave. Is that bad?" I ask Edward, snuggling closer to him.

"No, why would it be bad? I can't wait until we're living together," Edward grins at me. Instead of going into university residence, we've decided to share an apartment together. Turns out, Edward's window cleaning business has really taken off, so he has quite a bit of money saved up from it. I also have the money I've been saving up over the years, so we're putting all of that towards renting a small, one bedroomed flat.

"Because we'll be leaving everyone," I tell him, sighing softly.

"Talking about you two leaving, how's your packing going, Bella?" My mum asks, obviously overhearing our conversation.

Also, it would seem the adults have stopped their bickering.

"Good. I think I'll probably end up leaving a lot of things behind," I inform her.

"Actually, that reminds me, Edward. This morning when I went to grab a change of clothes from your room, I notice that, despite all the cardboard boxes, not a single one of your things was in any of them," Esme says, raising an eyebrow at Edward.

"Um, well, about that…" Edward trails off, looking to me for help. I just smirk, watching him squirm.

"Are you not planning on taking anything with you to college?" Esme adds with a pointed look.

"I just, uh, was waiting until…until I…until I knew what Bella was taking, so we wouldn't double up on anything," Edward quickly makes up.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realise Bella was taking men's clothes." At Esme's words both my mum and I burst out laughing, whilst Edward glares at the both of us.

"I'll go pack now," Edward huffs, standing up. "You wanna help?" Edward asks me.

"So you don't double up on things?" My mum quips. I snicker as I leave the room with Edward, hoping to lessen the glares I'm receiving from him.

When we reach his room, I see all the flat pack boxes lying on the floor, not even made up into boxes. I put my hand on my hip, frowning at Edward.

"You didn't even make up the boxes?" I question. He turns around to face me, a sheepish look on his face. Before I can say another word he's kissing me senseless, wrapping his arms around me.

"Sorry," he mutters, kissing along my neck.

"I know what you're up to, and it's not going to work. Get the tape and we'll make up boxes." Edward sighs as he lets go of me, leaving to get the tape.

When he returns he hands me the tape, still, it would seem, a little bit annoyed at the laughing before.

"You could have stuck up for me more!" Edward whines eventually.

"You looked like you were dealing with it pretty fine on your own," I reply, teasing him.

Instead of the glare I expect, he just leans over and kisses me.

He's perfect.

* * *

**A/N: Thoughts on the name of Alice's baby? :D**

**Review please! :)**

**Follow me on Twitter; katycullen23**


	26. Chapter 26

**Bella:**

After hours of travelling, Edward and I have finally arrived outside the apartment we're renting. We've had to travel to Seattle, fly down to Oakland International Airport, and then get a taxi up to Berkeley.

We lug our large suitcases up the stairs, to the third floor, as the lift is broken. Once inside the apartment, we both dump our stuff and take a look around the small space. To the right of the door there's a small kitchen with a breakfast bar and opposite that there is a small sofa facing a TV cabinet, complete with a little TV. There are then two doors in front, so I walk forward and open the door to assess the bedroom.

There's a large double bed in the middle of the room, with two bedside tables and a wardrobe. Overall, the area looks quite nice. It may not be that large, but it's big enough for Edward and I.

"It's nice, isn't it?" Edward says, walking into the bedroom.

"Yeah, it's got great views," I say, turning to face him. "It's weird that we're living together now," I muse, wondering over to my suitcase. We're definitely going to need to buy some other necessities.

"How so?" Edward asks, getting his own suitcase and unzipping it.

"Well, firstly, there won't be my father interrupting us all the time," I point out, grinning slyly over at Edward. His cheeks tint slight pink. "Secondly, we'll be sleeping in the same bed…" I trail off, realising that we've never actually slept in the same bed before.

"Are all your points sexual orientated?" Edward asks, raising an eyebrow at me.

"The second one wasn't necessarily. I just wanted to be close to you," I tell him, trying to keep a straight face.

I take my suitcase into the bedroom and begin putting my clothes in the wardrobe. I leave some room for Edward's clothes, and once that's done, I put some of my toiletries into the bathroom.

**Hey! How's California? I miss you already, as does Lily! Seriously, she's non-stop crying, please come home! :D ~Alice xxx**

I smile as I read the text, missing everyone too.

**California is amazing! So warm and sunny, it's weird! ;D Awww, I'll call you tomorrow and speak to Lily :) ~Bella xxx**

I reply to her text and then join Edward, who's sat on the sofa in the living room area. I sit next to him and kiss his cheek, snuggling up to him.

"Travelling makes me tired," I inform Edward, yawning widely.

I look out of the window and see the sun beginning to set, and consider going to bed now. Would that be sad? It is still quite early…

"You wanna go to bed?" Edward suggests, putting his arm around me.

"Eager to get me to bed?" I smirk, getting up and heading towards the bedroom.

"Is that such a crime?" Edward asks, pretending to sound innocent.

I shake my head and grab my pyjamas, going to get changed in the bathroom and get ready for bed. After brushing my teeth and removing my make-up, I walk back into the bedroom, where Edward is already lying in bed. I smile and crawl into bed next to him, kissing his cheek when I do.

"What was that for?" Edward grins, turning his body to face me.

"For being so amazing," I tell him, kissing him again. He kisses me back and I deepen the kiss, moving closer to him. His arms wrap around my body and pull me ever close, my body flush against his.

He hitches my leg over his, his lips trailing down and kissing my neck. My fingers latch onto his hair, holding him to me while my hips buck against him. Edward pulls me on top of him, his mouth reattaching to mine, both of our hips grinding against each other. Our tongues stroke each other, not as hastily as our hips are moving. I can feel Edward hard against me, the feeling pulsing through me.

"Edward…" I breathe out, slightly slowing the rocking of my hip. "Can we…um, try tonight?" I ask, stilling my hips to look at his face.

His expression looks torn, his hands moving down to rest on my ass.

"We can't," he sighs unhappily. I frown at him, wondering why. He sure seemed to be enjoying himself before. "Unless you have any c-condoms, we can't," Edward explains.

I sigh loudly and slump down on him, though he doesn't seem bothered by the added weight.

"Why didn't you say something _before_ I got all worked up?" I pout, kissing him lightly.

"You didn't really give me much chance!" Edward protests, hugging me. "I _could_ help with that problem, however," Edward adds, grinning.

He flips us over and hovers above me, kissing the tip of my nose before pulling up my top and taking it off. His eyes gleam as he lowers his mouth to my breasts, kissing and licking at them. I moan and arch myself into him, squirming for hopes of added friction.

While his mouth works my breasts his hands slide down my body, pulling down both my shorts and my panties. I moan again and help him kick off my clothes, watching him with hooded eyes.

"Is this ok?" Edward breathes out quietly.

"It's perfect," I assure him, fisting at his top. "It'd be better if you took this off, though," I smirk, pulling it up to reveal his chest.

Ever since Emmett and Edward met, Emmett has taken Edward to the gym several times to try and tone him up. Personally, I prefer him not as muscular, only slightly defined. I wouldn't want him to be as muscular as Emmett.

I make a move to take off his trousers, but Edward stops me. "I don't have enough restraint to be completely naked," Edward warns, kissing me sweetly.

I don't complain since I'm pretty sure I don't have the restraint, either, but I am already planning on going out and buying condoms tomorrow.

All thoughts of tomorrow fly out of my head when Edward's fingers finally touch me where I'm so wet and ready for him. Edward moans as he covers his finger with my arousal, tracing slow circles over my sensitive clit.

"You're so wet for me," Edward groans, his hips bucking against the covers.

I mumble out an incoherent chain of words, moving my hips with Edward's fingers. He slowly pushes two fingers inside me, his thumb remaining on my clit. My hands grip at Edward's shoulders as he speeds up, ever so often looking to me for reassurance. I love that he does that, that he's so focussed on my pleasure and enjoyment. I certainly plan on repaying him soon.

"Oh, god, Edward!" I shout, clenching around him. I'm close, oh so close.

"Are you close?" he whispers in my ear before his lips find my nipple, tugging gently and sending me over the edge. I tighten around his fingers and chant his name as I come, his fingers slowly bringing me down from my high.

I collapse on the bed, as does Edward, and lie contentedly in his arms for a while. His fingers stroke my hair slowly, lulling me into a sleep. I relax into him and close my eyes, falling asleep as Edward's hands keep stroking my hair.

*********LLB*********

When I wake up the next morning I roll over in bed, initially confused as to where I am. Usually when I roll over in the morning I fall out of bed…

As I slowly open my eyes I remember I'm in mine and Edward's new apartment, and still very much naked from last night. I make sure the sheet, which was tangled around my limbs, covers me up and sit up in bed, faintly hearing the shower running.

I stay in bed and wait for Edward to come back so we can plan what to do today. I noticed last night that there was no toaster for the kitchen, so we need to buy that and other necessities, such as food.

"Oh, sorry, did I wake you?" Edward says as he walks back into the bedroom, only a towel hanging loosely around his hips. My eyes drink him in, roaming over his body.

"Last night!" I suddenly exclaim, remembering how turned on we both were, but I fell asleep before I could return the favour.

Edward's cheeks turn slightly pink as he remembers what we did last night, and he quickly readjusts his towel. I smirk inadvertently, sitting up a little more in bed.

"What I meant was that I never returned the favour…" I trail off, thinking about dropping the sheet to get Edward to come back to bed.

"Oh," Edward's already pink cheeks turn a deeper shade. "I, um, I'm good…" he mumbles, turning around and opening the wardrobe.

I raise an eyebrow, even though he can't see it, and remember that Edward showered last night.

"You're good, huh?" I say, almost giddy from this revelation.

Edward doesn't reply as he bends down and puts on some boxers, and then drops the towel. My mouth hangs open, and I'm once again kicking myself for not remembering condoms.

"What did you think about?" I ask, hoping for a reply.

He pauses for a moment, before turning around and raising an eyebrow at me. "You're not going to drop this, are you?" he asks. I shake my head. "Seriously, what do you think?" he adds, grabbing some jeans.

Can't he stay in only boxers all day?

"I'd hope for me, but…" I answer as he pulls up his jeans.

What a shame…

"Of _course_ you," Edward emphasizes, walking over to the bed and kissing me. I smile as he kisses me, and wrap my hands around his chest to pull him closer.

He pulls back after a while, much to my distain.

"Um, you, uh, you should get dressed," Edward stutters. I frown, wondering what's up, and then I remember I was holding up the cover to cover myself up.

I look down and see my chest is now on show, my arousal for Edward evident.

"Oops," I chuckle, wrapping the sheet around me again.

I see Edward roll his eyes before he covers up his chest, and reminds me to get dressed as he leaves the room. I sigh and get out of bed, thinking about what I should wear today. I can see sun shining through the curtains, so I think a dress would be appropriate.

"Jesus, Bella, I thought you were getting dressed!" Edward says as he walks back into the room.

"I am getting dressed. I'm just deciding what to wear," I answer, almost laughing at the conflicting emotions on Edward's face.

"Do you have to be naked?" Edward finally says, though his eyes seem to be against this. His eyes slowly trail over my body, as if they're making a mental note of every one of my features. "How did you get that scar? And why have a never noticed it before?" Edward muses, peering in closer before he realises what he's doing.

I look down and see the scar he's referring to is the one on my hip. It's only a small line, not too noticeable.

"Oh, that one. Yeah, Alice and I were climbing this tree, and I fell awkwardly," I explain to Edward. "And I'm guessing you never noticed it as you were a little preoccupied when I was naked before," I add, laughing.

Edward moves closer to me and lightly traces the scar on my hip. "Bella Swan, you are officially the clumsiest person ever. Now, I'd appreciate it if you got dressed, so that we could go out and not end up staying in bed all day," Edward tells me, kissing my forehead and leaving the room again.

I get dressed in underwear first, and then find a suitable dress to wear. It's got a floral print on it, perfect for the end of summer. When I walk out into the living area, I see Edward writing out a list of the things we need.

Just before we got out I quickly go to the toilet, groaning in frustration when I do. I stomp out of the bathroom and over to Edward, thoroughly annoyed.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Edward asks, looking concerned for me.

"Add paracetamol to that list. I just got my period!" I complain, crossing my arms.

"Are you ok?" Edward asks, placing his hands on my stomach.

"Yeah, it doesn't hurt yet. It's usually day two the cramps hit. What's pissing me off is the fact now we're going to have to wait a week." I'm not certain, but I swear I see amusement flash over Edward's face. "Something funny?" I question, placing my hands on my hips as we leave the apartment.

"Usually people say men are sex crazed. Well, I beg to differ," Edward chuckles, glancing over and noticing my sullen expression. "Come on, it's not the end of the world," Edward says, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and kissing my cheek.

"I guess not," I eventually say as we walk down the street. "Edward, do you know where the supermarket is?" I ask, since we seem to be heading aimlessly.

Edward shrugs, "I figure if we keep walking we'll find somewhere eventually. Anyway, I could have sworn we passed a supermarket in the taxi here."

We continue walking for another ten minutes until we reach an area with a supermarket and a shopping centre, Edward's plan having worked. We decide to focus today on just buying food, and then tomorrow we'll investigate the shopping centre.

When we get home we put away everything we'd bought – though we didn't buy too much, since we had to carry it home.

The rest of the day we lounge around, as we don't start at Berkeley for another week.

"Edward," I begin to get his attention.

"Yeah?" he replies, kissing my forehead.

"Do you remember when we first got together? I mean, when we official became a couple," I ask. I, of course, remember, I'm just curious to see if Edward remembers.

"We first became a couple on 7th December, when you were in hospital, but we first kissed on the 15th of September," Edward answers without hesitation.

I grin widely and lean over to kiss him deeply.

"Bella…what is this for?" Edward asks, kissing me back.

"You remembered!" I simply tell him, my hands trailing down his body. I reach his jeans and beginning undoing them, but Edward's hands reach out and stop me.

"You don't have to," Edward says, looking down at me.

"I want to," I tell him, batting away his hands and unzipping his jeans before he can stop me. I get him to lift up his hips as I pull down his trousers, and then take off his top. I run my hands lightly over the bulge in his boxers, causing him to buck against me. I smirk at him, continuing to tease him and make him harder.

He groans out my name and I finally tug on the top of his boxers, slowly pulling them down. I wrap my hand around his long length, further teasing him by moving my hand gently up and down, working him up further.

Locking eyes with Edward, I lean forward and place a kiss to the tip before taking him in my mouth. I move up and down, my hand wrapped around the part I can't fit in my mouth. I hum around him, looking up to meet his eyes again. He'll never admit it, but he loves it when I look at him whilst giving him a blowjob.

I feel his hand on the back of my head to urge me to keep moving, taking him in deeper. I keep going until I feel his hand tightening in my hair, not knowing whether to pull me off or push me on harder.

"Oh, Bella, I'm going to…" Edward grits out, pulsing in my mouth before coming in several long streams.

I swallow it all, licking him clean and releasing him from my mouth.

I smile up at him and snuggle into his embrace, resting my head on his chest and hearing his fast beating heart. His arms hold me close to him, his need to be close after his orgasm warming me.

"You're amazing, you know that?" Edward says, a little breathlessly. "I love you so much," he adds, kissing the top of my head.

I turn my head to look up at him, Edward leaning down to nudge my nose with his.

"I love you, too," I reply, resting my head back against his chest.

* * *

**A/N: Thoughts on their apartment? :D**

**Review please! :)**

**Follow me on Twitter; katycullen23**


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: In case you didn't see on my blog, I've decided on an updating schedule for this story, and so from now onwards I'll be updating every Sunday :)**

* * *

**Bella:**

I spend extra time this morning, choosing what to wear. Today is my first day at the University of Berkeley, so I'm worrying and making sure I look nice. Edward and I won't see each other for most of the day, due to how different our courses are. I'm doing an English literature degree, whereas Edward is doing a degree in astrophysics.

When I get home after my first day, Edward isn't here, so I start doing some of the work I got set. I'm anxious for Edward to come home, to see how his first day went. Mine went brilliant; I can only hope it's the same for him.

At around 5 I finally hear him opening the door, so I leave the bedroom, where there's a small desk now covered in my books, and go out to greet him.

There's a stony expression on his face, and he says nothing to greet or acknowledge me as he walks straight into the kitchen.

"Hey," I say to him, walking over to the breakfast bar. "How was your first day?" I ask him politely, unlike the attitude he's giving me.

"Oh, it was _great_," he says bitterly, sarcastically.

"What's wrong?" I ask, getting worried.

"Nothing," Edward huffs, grabbing a glass of water and stalking off to the bedroom.

I frown, wondering if maybe _I've_ done something wrong. No. I can't have. We were fine this morning; we even walked to Berkeley University together.

Following him to the bedroom, I see him sat on the bed on his phone.

"Edward, what's happened? Maybe I can help," I say softly, sitting next to him.

Scoffing loudly, Edward says, "No, I'm fine. I don't need _help_."

Sighing and beginning to get frustrated, I stand up from the bed and pace around the room.

"Clearly something's up, since you're been all pissed with me!" I practically shout at him. "If you're not going to tell me what's wrong, how can I help?"

"Fine, you want to know what's up?" Edward begins, standing up too. "I had a rubbish lecture as the lecturer made me stand at the front and introduce myself, so I text my girlfriend to meet up. She texts back she's busy, which I accept, until I see her walking with another boy, laughing," Edward finishes, leaving the bedroom and slamming the door.

I run out to try and explain to him, but all I see is the front door slamming closed.

Well, fuck him, then.

I spend the rest of the evening doing work, pausing briefly to make some dinner, and then go back to doing work. Edward still doesn't come home, and doesn't reply to any of my texts.

Eventually, I shower and get ready for bed, and I'm just about to fall asleep when I hear the front door opening. I quickly turn off the light and pretend to be asleep, wondering what Edward will do. Opening my eyes slightly when I hear the bedroom door opening, I see Edward's shadowy figure moving over to the wardrobe.

He looks over my way, before quickly turning his attention back to the wardrobe. As he's rifling through it he drops something, so I use that as an excuse to 'wake-up'. Jolting up, I turn on the light and turn to glare at Edward.

His wide eyes meet mine, and he looks torn whether to run or stay.

"I don't know where the fuck you've been all this time, but I just want to let you know that I'm immensely pissed that you got all wound up before I could even give you an explanation," I tell him, the glare remaining on my face.

"Fine. Explain," Edward says harshly, perching on the edge of the desk.

I'm temporarily shocked by the coldness of his voice, not used to arguing with him. Of course we've had our arguments, but they're few and far between.

"That guy you saw me with? He was Tyler. He's in my classes, and he was showing me around. He was also asking if I'd like to join the student's magazine, which I agreed to," I explain to Edward. "You just need to fucking understand that I love you! I'm living with you and, trust me, if I didn't have a class to go to I would have been there for you!" I end, shouting at him.

Momentarily stunned by my words, Edward doesn't say anything.

"If you're actually planning on staying tonight, you can sleep on the sofa," I add, lying back down in bed.

For a moment I don't hear any moment, so I presume he's gone to the living room. I'm about to turn off the light when I feel a dip in the bed beside me.

"Don't be mad. I, um, I had a really bad morning, and so I was angry about that, and, uh, I guess I took it out on you," Edward mumbles.

Reluctantly I sit up again, turning to face Edward. The expression on his face breaks my heart a little.

"I understand you want me on the sofa. I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry and I love you and please don't leave me," Edward begs, his eyes welling up.

"I'm not…what? Why would I?" I frown at Edward. "I'm not breaking up with you. Why would we be breaking up? Do _you_ want to break up?" I ask nervously.

"No! No, I love you! Bella, you are my life. I was such an idiot. The biggest idiot," Edward says emphatically. I quickly wipe away any stray tears as I watch Edward. "I'll go to the sofa now." Edward gets up from the bed and walks away.

"Edward!" I call out urgently. Despite the fact it's late, we need to sort this out before tomorrow. I can't lose him, not after everything we've been through. "Where did you go?" I ask curiously.

Slowly turning to face me, Edward looks embarrassed. "I went to the shopping area and called Emmett. I asked for advice," Edward murmurs, looking at the floor.

"And what was his advice?" I ask quietly.

"To apologise and grovel and never, ever lose you. Emmett said, 'Bella is the best thing that's ever happened to you, you'd be a dick to dump her'," Edward answers. "I quickly told him I was never going to dump you, and never would, and then he said 'get your ass home before she dumps you', so that's what I did."

Once again, my heart breaks a little more, and I feel tears sting my eyes.

"Edward," I sob out. He's by my side in an instant, his arms wrapping tightly around my body. "I love you, my stupid, stupid boyfriend," I tell him, crying into his shirt.

"I love you too," Edward says back, wiping away his own tears.

Eventually I pull him into the bed with me, both of us lying together and calming down. I reach up and kiss his lips, trying to get ever closer to him. I feel like I can't get close enough.

He responds to the kiss with vigour, his arms encasing me and pulling me on top of him. I grind over him, until hands on my hips stop me.

I practically growl in annoyance.

"You're on…we can't," Edward says, as if he's reminding me.

"This was going to be my surprise when you got home from classes. My period ended, we _can_," I tell him, grinding my hips for emphasis.

"You were…god, I'm such an idiot. You were going to surprise me and I come home shouting," Edward says, looking like he hates himself.

I kiss him again and move my hips to show him to forget about it, to loose himself in us. It seems to work as his grip on my hips loosens and he begins moving his hips with mine.

I slowly begin unbuttoning his shirt, and then push it off his shoulders. He tugs on the hem of my top and pulls it over my head. His hands explore my exposed chest, my hips moving rougher because of his actions.

I reach down and undo his jeans, moving off him so that he can take them off. I reach over to my bedside table and grab the box of condoms we bought. When I look back over to Edward, I almost salivate at the image. He's lying on the bed, completely naked, his cock hard and erect.

Quickly taking off my shorts, I join in him bed, about to open a condom.

"Wait," Edward says, pushing me over so that I'm lying down and he's above me. "I want this to be good for you, too. I, um, I read about pleasuring the woman first, apparently it's not as painful if, uh, you've had an orgasm just before," Edward mumbles, blushing a little.

Smiling widely, I lean up and kiss him in thanks, his fingers moving down to touch me. He knows just what to do and pushes his fingers inside, preparing me for later. I moan at his fingers and the thought of later, throwing my head back against the pillow.

Edward knows just what to do to bring me pleasure, since he knows my body so well. We meet in a passionate kiss, our lips pressing together forcefully. I love Edward when we're intimate, as he loses a lot of his shyness. He still blushes occasionally, and a lot when we first started becoming more intimate, but now he's growing surer of himself and his body.

"Edward!" I gasp, getting closer. The tightening in my abdomen intensifies as I clench around him, coming on his fingers.

He kisses me again and slowly removes his fingers from me, placing his large hands on either side of me.

"You're so sexy," Edward murmurs, resting his forehead on mine.

I breathe heavily, trying to locate the condom.

"Here," Edward grins, holding it up.

I smile back, watching intently as he opens the condom and rolls it onto himself. Instead of pushing in straight away, Edward leans down, his face right next to mine. Once again he asks if I'm sure, so I simply nod in response.

As he lines up with my entrance he keeps his eyes locked on mine, showing a mixture of love and passion. I watch his face, entranced, as he pushes inside me, filling me completely. He pauses, for which I'm thankful, to give me a moment. It hurts like nothing else, but after a while of Edward remaining still the pain begins to subside.

"You can move," I tell him, my eyes flicking down to watch him moving slowly in and out of me.

When my eyes move up to his face, the sight that greets me makes me unable to look away. His eyes are fixated on where we're joined, his lips slightly parted as harsh breaths come out.

I wrap my arms around his chest and pull him down to me, kissing his deeply. He moans into the kiss, his hips pushing him into me faster. His breathing quickens so he ends up resting his forehead against mine.

"I'm close, Bella," Edward groans, grinding his hips into mine.

I tighten around him to help him get closer to his release, wanting to see him fall apart. His thrusts become erratic before he stills deep inside me, collapsing on top of me.

I thread my fingers through his hair as his head rests on my chest, his harsh breaths fanning over my stomach. I don't know how long we stay like that, until Edward slowly gets up and pulls out of me.

It feels empty without him, as he walks out the room and to the bathroom, I presume, to discard of the condom. I stay lying in the same position, feeling an ache all over, but happy nonetheless.

When Edward walks back in, he looks sheepish and nervous.

"Um…do you still want me to sleep on the sofa?" he asks quietly.

I roll my eyes and feel like shaking him, a laugh accidentally erupting from me.

"What?" Edward asks, frowning.

"Come to bed," I tell him, watching him as he walks slowly over to where I'm lying. "We just lost our virginities. I'd quite like to fall asleep cuddling you," I add, shuffling closer to him when he gets in bed on the opposite side.

"So you're not mad anymore?" Edward asks, wrapping his arm around me.

"A little. Next time, at least reply to my texts. But, I'll be over it soon. It's nice to know you care enough to get jealous," I tell him, snuggling into him.

Tired from everything that's happening tonight, I quickly fall asleep, all snuggled up with Edward.

* * *

**A/N: Thoughts? :)**

**Review please! :)**

**Follow me on Twitter; katycullen23**


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: Sorry for missing the Sunday update! I'm currently doing a whole ton of exams, meaning I'm mostly revising and not writing. I'll still try to update at least once a week, however :)**

* * *

**Bella:**

Waking up the next morning, I feel a slight pain in my abdomen. And I ache.

I roll over and right into Edward, waking him up.

"Sorry," I mumble, still half asleep myself.

"S'ok," Edward replies, pulling me closer by wrapping his arm around me.

Slowly opening my eyes, I see a grin covering Edward's face. I lean up to kiss him, memories of last night flooding my mind.

"We have lectures," Edward reminds me gently when I try to deepen things.

I huff in annoyance, flopping back down on the bed. Edward chuckles at my reaction, rolling his eyes and getting out of bed. For a moment I watch his retreating form, ogling his ass, before I move.

"You know, we should shower together. It'll save water," I nod, quickly catching up to him.

Edward just shakes his head, so I take that as a yes, I can join him in the shower. I follow him to the bathroom, sitting on the counter while he prepares the shower. While we're waiting for it to heat up we make out, my legs wrapping around Edward's waist.

"I think we're going to need a cold shower," Edward says, taking a step back and walking into the shower.

I hop down off the counter and join him under the spray. Immediately I jump back, shocked at how cold the water is.

"That's freezing!" I gasp out, almost shivering.

Sensing that I'm not going to go back under the spray, Edward wraps his arms around me and pulls me under, soaking me. I try to push against him but he doesn't let me. I reach up and kiss him, distracting him, turning up the temperature when he doesn't notice.

Once he notices he raises an eyebrow at me, but thankfully doesn't turn it down. We shower fairly quickly, both of us aware we have lectures.

Later, when Edward's not looking, I take a couple of paracetamol. If he thought I was in any pain he wouldn't touch me for ages.

*********LLB*********

"So, remind me again, why are you calling _me_?" Rosalie asks, sounding confused but still happy.

"I could hardly call Alice, could I?" I inform her, stretching out on the sofa. "And I wanted to tell _someone_, and, you know, since we've become closer recently, I thought I could confide in you."

It is true we've got closer. At first, Rosalie was just being friendly to keep Emmett happy. Now that I've got to know her, she's actually quite nice. And funny.

"That's fair enough. And, yeah, Alice might be a little freaked out if you call her to tell her you just lost your virginity to her brother," Rosalie muses. I laugh down the line. "How are you feeling?" she adds sincerely.

"Physically or emotionally?" I verify, laughing.

"Both!" Rosalie says.

"Emotionally, great. Before it happened, we had this pretty big fight, where Edward basically got jealous and left before I could explain what happened," I explain to Rosalie.

"Oh, yeah, Emmett told me about Edward calling him. Apparently, he said he sounded pretty upset," Rosalie tells me.

"Really? Did he say anything else?" I ask curiously.

Rosalie laughs at my question. "No, he didn't. I'll ask later."

"Thanks!" I say. "Oh, and physically? It hurts a bit, but it's not as bad as I expected."

The door opens and I see Edward walking in from his day at university. Due to the nature of his course, he has much longer days than me. Today, however, he looks a lot happier.

"Hey," Edward smiles, walking over and kissing me. "Who's on the phone?" he adds.

"Rosalie," I tell him.

"Is Edward back?" Rosalie asks. I tell her yes, and so she tells me to text her later, and hangs up.

I kiss Edward properly now that I'm not on the phone, pulling him down to sit with me on the sofa.

"How was your day?" I ask, crawling into his lap. I need to be close to him.

"Better. I, uh, explained about my stutter to my professor. He was very apologetic," Edward tells me, kissing my cheek. "I'm so sorry, Bella. I can't apologise enough," Edward adds.

"Don't be. Just never do it again," I pretend warn him, kissing his lips.

"What were you and Rosalie talking about?" Edward asks conversationally.

"You. I, uh, was telling her about last night," I admit.

"Oh, you were, were you?" Edward grins slyly, shifting his hips against mine.

Surprising both of us, I halt the movements. "Dinner will be ready soon. Afterwards…" I trail off, grinning.

I get up from Edward's lap – much to his displeasure – and walk off to the kitchen to finish off our spaghetti. I watch Edward from afar, who not so subtly adjusts himself and turns on the TV. For a while he doesn't notice me, so I continue gazing over at him as I prepare dinner.

He smiles occasionally at whatever he's watching, enhancing his handsome features. I sigh, thinking how lucky and in love I am.

Turning back to what I'm doing, I see the pasta is cooking nicely, so I take a couple more paracetamol. The pain is pretty much gone by now.

"Do you have a headache?" Edward asks, walking over to me.

"No, why?" I frown, wondering where the random question came from. He sits at the breakfast bar, resting on his elbows.

"You took paracetamol," Edward points out, gesturing over to the packet I left on the side.

"Oh, that? I just had a slight pain from last night," I tell him, shrugging to show him it's nothing major, or anything he should be worried about.

"What? Why didn't you tell me?" Edward asks, looking concerned.

"Because I'm fine!" I reply, going back to cooking.

I serve the food for both of us at the dining table, neither of us saying anything. I'm hoping Edward will forget it, but that's highly unlikely. Sometimes he can be caring, too caring. I know he won't get close to me because of this, and it's infuriating.

"How are you?" Edward asks quietly once he's finished eating.

"Completely fine and feeling no signs of discomfort," I reply, hoping to appease him.

"Because of the paracetamol," Edward replies. I huff and roll my eyes, remaining quiet so as not to start an argument.

We leave the dishes for tomorrow or later tonight, and both sit down on the sofa to watch TV. Edward sits fairly far away from me, which annoys me.

I shuffle close, not even trying to be subtle. Edward just sits there, gaze fixed on the screen. Since he doesn't move away, I sit so that I'm practically sat in his lap.

"I don't want to hurt you," Edward tells me, sighing quietly.

"You won't," I say back, kissing his cheek. "I'll tell you if it hurts, and you can stop," I add.

Edward laughs, saying, "Yeah, right."

"You don't believe me?" I ask, frowning at him.

"No! I don't believe that I'd be able to stop!" Edward says quickly.

I smirk triumphantly and straddle his lap, noting that he doesn't try and stop me. Leaning down, I kiss his lips, grinding slightly over him.

Soon, Edward picks me up, carrying me into our bedroom. He sets me down on the bed, hovering over me.

"Um, before we do anything, I just wanted to say something," Edward begins, looking nervous. "Thank you, for everything you've done for me, Bella. You've been there when I was down, and you've always stayed by my side. We've shared so many firsts, and I hope we'll share a whole ton more. I love you, so much, Bella," Edward says, ending my kissing me so sweetly.

"Oh, Edward, I love you too. You're perfect," I smile at him, a watery smile.

I wrap my arms around him and hold him close to me, kissing all over his face.

"You're the sweetest," I add, finally reaching his lips.

I can't get enough of his closeness.

* * *

**A/N: Thoughts?**

**Review please! :)**

**Follow me on Twitter; katycullen23**


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